Dialogic pedagogy has been highly valued and promoted in classrooms globally over the past few decades. However, there persists a stereotype that view Chinese classrooms as authoritative and full of rote learning. A new study has systematically reviewed several dialogue-based teaching interventions implemented in Chinese elementary and secondary schools. This review suggests that these interventions were mostly integrated with school subject fields and exert both cognitive and noncognitive effects on Chinese students

Lithium–oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries are poised to revolutionize energy storage with their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, performance barriers at both the cathode and anode have prevented their practical deployment. A new study proposes an elegant solution: atomic-scale nickel (Ni) catalysts anchored on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (Ni–N/rGO). This dual-function material enhances the oxygen reduction/evolution reactions at the cathode while stabilizing lithium metal at the anode. The resulting batteries exhibit impressive capacity, extended cycle life, and reduced polarization. By unifying cathode and anode improvements in a single material platform, the work sets a new standard for the design of high-performance, rechargeable Li–O₂ batteries.

A new study published in Engineering offers fresh insights into how the combinations of foods we eat over the long term can influence cardiometabolic health. Researchers analyzed data from two large cohorts in the United States and China, finding that long-term food pairing patterns are independently associated with cardiometabolic traits and can modulate gut microbial functionalities. These findings suggest that the balance and imbalance of food intake, captured through food pairing patterns, may play a significant role in shaping cardiometabolic health beyond the effects of individual foods or dietary indices.

New insights into energetic disorder may help unlock the full potential of tin–lead perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) for optoelectronic devices. Although tin alloying promises to reduce toxicity and improve air stability compared to traditional lead-based materials, its incorporation has been found to reduce light emission efficiency. This study disentangles the two primary sources of energetic disorder—static disorder from structural defects and dynamic disorder from electron–phonon interactions—and reveals how they govern photoluminescence behavior. Static disorder, strongly influenced by tin-induced lattice distortions, plays a dominant role in suppressing radiative recombination. These findings offer critical guidance for designing next-generation low-toxicity, high-efficiency perovskite emitters.

Electrochemical conversion of small organic molecules offers a promising route to simultaneously generate hydrogen or electricity and value-added chemicals—without emitting carbon dioxide. This dual-function strategy enhances energy efficiency and sustainability, especially when using waste-derived organics, alcohols, or biomass as feedstocks. A recent review highlights how cutting-edge catalyst design, advanced electrochemical reactors, and mechanistic insights are advancing this field. Innovations in non-noble metal catalysts and tailored device architectures have shown potential in overcoming challenges related to selectivity, stability, and scalability. This comprehensive progress positions electrocatalytic conversion as a key technology in carbon-neutral energy systems and green chemical manufacturing.

Abstract

Purpose – Clean energy stocks have recently received significant attention from both investors and researchers, reflecting their growing importance in financial markets. This paper forecasts clean energy stock (CES) returns using many predictors, including technical, macroeconomic, climate risk and financial predictors. The goal is to reveal how different predictor groups work and their time-varying patterns.

Design/methodology/approach – This study establishes a robust forecasting framework using monthly data from the WilderHill Clean Energy Index, spanning January 2009 to December 2023, and integrates 56 predictors across four categories. To address multicollinearity and identify key drivers, the framework applies advanced shrinkage methods, regularization, quantile regression and model combination. This offers a dynamic solution for forecasting CES returns.

Findings – The study identifies macroeconomic predictors as the most stable and powerful drivers of CES returns; the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) is a particularly important indicator. Climate predictors show temporal variability, while technical and financial predictors are more important during market volatility. A group-level analysis highlights macroeconomic variables as key to forecasting accuracy. Climate predictors play critical roles in specific periods. Medium-term dynamics (2–4 months) associated with macroeconomic predictors have the strongest impact on performance.

Originality/value – This paper introduces a novel approach to forecasting CES returns by integrating 56 diverse predictors. This addresses research gaps, given the previous focus on traditional predictors or single-model frameworks. The study further examines the roles of predictor grouping, component selection, rolling windows and forecasting horizons in increasing prediction accuracy and in describing the dynamic interactions driving CES returns.

Diamond, an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor material, is promising for solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors in extreme environments. However, when exposed to high-temperature conditions, diamond photodetector surfaces are unavoidably terminated with oxygen, leading to low photoresponsivity. To address this limitation, single-crystalline diamond nanowires (DNWs) embedded with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were developed using Pt film deposition followed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) homoepitaxial growth. During the CVD, Pt nanoparticles (approximately 20 nm in diameter) undergo dewetting and become uniformly embedded within the single-crystalline DNWs. Photodetectors fabricated with these Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs achieve a responsivity of 68.5 A W^-1 under 220 nm illumination at room temperature, representing an improvement of approximately 2000 times compared to oxygen-terminated bulk diamond devices. Notably, the responsivity further increases with temperature, reaching an exceptional value of 3098.7 A W^-1 at 275 °C. This outstanding performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the one-dimensional nanowire structure, deep-level defects, the localized surface plasmon resonance effects induced by embedded Pt nanoparticles, and localized Schottky junctions at the Pt/diamond interface, which enhance optical absorption, carrier generation, and separation efficiency. These results highlight the significant potential of Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs for advanced deep ultraviolet detection in harsh environments, including aerospace, industrial monitoring, and other applications.

The Yangtze River is the mother river of the Chinese nation. It plays a crucial role in ecological functions and economic and social development. Dr. Dianchang Wang, from the National Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China Three Gorges Corporation, led a research team to unveil the evolutionary characteristics of the water ecological pattern in the Yangtze River Basin from multiple dimensions, taking the past century as a temporal perspective. They identified different evolutionary stages of the basin’s water ecological pattern and their driving mechanisms, and proposed water system governance strategies for the new era that aim at harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.