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More than toxic masculinities: folding with contemporary masculinity assemblages through creative methodologies and pedagogies
No full textThis article contests a tendency in popular debates and some research about ‘toxic’
masculinities to flatten complexity by describing them in terms (‘misogyny’, ‘sexism’) that
take-for-granted their meaning for and effects on young people. To counter such reifications,
we consider data from creative participatory youth research and an interview with a sexuality
educator to open up more nuanced understandings of masculinities and pedagogies. Our
analysis develops through Laura U. Marks’ (2024) reworking of the Deleuzian ‘Fold’,
emphasizing the processual and relational onto-epistemology of experience as always in
motion, generating posthuman agencies and pedagogical possibilities rather than fixed
positions (i.e us/them; knowledge/ignorance). We extend this by un/enfolding with the
concept of masculinity assemblages and advancing response-able pedagogy as a mode of
careful, curious, and exigent engagement. We aim to contribute to reimagining pedagogical
approaches that might attune to how (more-than) masculinities are on the move, and how
they move us
The effectiveness of interventions targeting interparental conflict in improving family outcomes: a systematic review
No full textThe decision-makers we become: Early education and the decision-making of boys and girls
No full textOne way to advance our understanding of individual differences in decision-making is to study the development of children's decision-making. This paper studies the causal effects of daycare attendance on children's economic preferences and decision-making abilities, exploiting a lottery system that randomized admissions into oversubscribed daycare centers in Rio de Janeiro. Impacts are estimated separately for boys and girls. Daycare attendance increased the decision-making quality of boys by 0.16 standard deviations (SD) and the aversion of girls to disadvantageous inequality (i.e., having less than one's peer) by 0.23 SD. It also decreased the self-control of boys by 0.19 SD
Isolation-free manufacturing of lipophilic API-ionic liquids (API-ILs) and their solidified products for oral solid dosage formulations
No full textAdvances in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing offer enhanced efficiency, scalability, and safety, particularly for oral solid dosage forms (OSDs). In this study, we present an integrated, isolation-free process that synthesizes and purifies lipophilic API-Ionic Liquids (API-ILs), followed by spray encapsulation into free-flowing powders. Applied to BCS Class III and IV drugs—specifically metformin and chlorpromazine—this method addresses the handling challenges associated with the physical properties of API-ILs and supports their clinical translation. API-IL synthesis is carried out in a continuous flow system using a 3D-printed PEEK mixer and tubular sections, followed by in-line liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) with a PEEK kenics mixer and annular tubular liquid–liquid membrane separator to efficiently remove inorganic by-products. The lipophilic API-ILs spontaneously self-assemble into micelles, and while isolation of such self-assembled micellar systems can, like stable emulsions, pose significant challenges under batch conditions, the continuous setup enables quantitative phase separation with residence times as short as 2.5 min. The continuous process significantly improved the purity of metformin API-IL, reducing counterion excess to 3.8% w/w compared to 20% in batch synthesis. The purified API-IL stream was then directly spray-encapsulated to produce powders with high drug loadings (up to 60%), suitable for standard OSD manufacturing. This work highlights a scalable, cost-effective strategy for the formulation of poorly bioavailable APIs through integrated continuous production, purification, and solidification of API-ILs
Generative machine learning for multivariate angular simulation
No full textWith the recent development of new geometric and angular-radial frameworks for multivariate
extremes, reliably simulating from angular variables in moderate-to-high dimensions is of increasing
importance. Empirical approaches have the benefit of simplicity, and work reasonably well in low
dimensions, but as the number of variables increases, they can lack the required flexibility and scalability. Classical parametric models for angular variables, such as the von Mises–Fisher distribution
(vMF), provide an alternative. Exploiting finite mixtures of vMF distributions increases their flexibility, but there are cases where, without letting the number of mixture components grow considerably,
a mixture model with a fixed number of components is not sufficient to capture the intricate features that can arise in data. Owing to their flexibility, generative deep learning methods are able to
capture complex data structures; they therefore have the potential to be useful in the simulation of
multivariate angular variables. In this paper, we introduce a range of deep learning approaches for
this task, including generative adversarial networks, normalizing flows and flow matching. We assess
their performance via a range of metrics, and make comparisons to the more classical approach of
using a finite mixture of vMF distributions. The methods are also applied to a metocean data set,
with diagnostics indicating strong performance, demonstrating the applicability of such techniques to
real-world, complex data structures
Introducing a sociocultural practices framework: how it helps to explain the emergence and spread of ‘grassroots’ housing models
No full textThis short article presents a sociocultural practices framework that we feel is useful for
better understanding the provenance of niche or ‘grassroots’ housing models in the
specific sociocultural conditions of a given locality. Drawing on Davis’s Culture of
Building concept, the framework connects grassroots housing development practices
and responses with the sociocultural system formed from the land management
practices of a bioregion. By using the development of the Swiss housing cooperative
model to illustrate links between today’s urban housing model and the collaborative
farming practices that preceded it, we contend that the sociocultural practices
framework is useful for exploring the occurrence of specific grassroots housing models.
Borrowing the terms ‘rootstock’ and ‘grafting’ from arboriculture, we further suggest that
a deeply ingrained familiarity with collaborative development in cities such as Zürich is
likely to make the inward development of newer housing models such as Cohousing that
much more successful
Book Review: Unbound from Rome: Art and Craft in a Fluid Landscape, ca. 650–250 BCE John North Hopkins Yale University Press, 2024
No full textThe influence of oral health on sports performance: an interdisciplinary perspective
No full textSports performance is a multifactorial concept determined by the interplay of physical, technical, tactical, and psychological factors. While its measurement is straightforward in metrical sports (e.g., athletics or swimming), it is more complex in team or aesthetic disciplines. In recent years, the role of oral health has gained attention as a potentially modifiable factor influencing athletic performance. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of how sports performance is defined and measured – particularly in explosive and endurance sports – and explores the impact of oral health on performance outcomes. Evidence from systematic reviews and observational studies shows consistent associations between poor oral health (e.g., periodontal disease, caries, malocclusion) and reduced objective performance metrics such as V̇O2 max, power output, speed, and agility, as well as self-reported reductions in training capacity and competitive performance. Potential mechanisms include systemic inflammation, impaired nutrition, altered microbiomes, psychological burden, and altered sensorimotor control. These pathways highlight the relevance of oral health in both recovery and performance optimisation. Future research in sports dentistry should adopt an interdisciplinary approach, using validated outcome measures, clearly defined athlete populations, and co-produced study designs involving athletes and support teams to enhance relevance and generalisability
Analysis of influence of caudal fin shape of bionic sturgeon robot on propulsion efficiency
No full textThe caudal fin shape has an important influence on the propulsion performance of bionic sturgeon
robot. In this paper, the upper and lower asymmetrical caudal fin model is parameterized for sturgeon
robot, which is used to determine the main shape parameters including the upper leading edge angle,
lower leading edge angle, trailing edge angle and depth of the caudal peduncle. A kinematic model is
established for the movement of the caudal fin in space. Based on numerical simulation analysis, the
influence of each shape parameter on the caudal fin propulsion performance is analyzed through the
variation trends of propulsion efficiency, input power, thrust coefficient and lateral force coefficient
with the change of Strouhal (St) number. The propulsion mechanism of the caudal fin is analyzed
through vortex-volume, surface pressure and flow field pressure distribution cloud diagrams. It is
found that the vortex structure and pressure difference generated during the movement of the caudal
fin jointly form a thrust to drive the movement of the caudal fin. The variation of the lateral force of
the caudal fin over time is further analyzed and verified through experiments