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Passive hyperthermia increases blood circulation in specific regions, largely independent of conduit artery mechanics and cardiac performance
No full textHighlights:
• What is the central question of the study?
What are the contributions of peripheral and cardiac haemodynamic forces to changes in blood circulation induced by lower-limb and whole-body hyperthermia?
• What is the main finding and its importance?
In the common carotid artery, forward compression and expansion waves increased only during whole-body heating, while other wave properties and distensibility were unchanged. Distensibility in the main brain, forearm and leg conduit arteries, in addition to total arterial compliance, remained unaffected across conditions. Thus, the increase in total blood flow during passive hyperthermia is achieved without significant elastic adjustments in the conduit arteries.Data Availability Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the first and last authors upon reasonable request.Passive hyperthermia increases net peripheral and systemic blood flow in humans and other animals, yet the underlying haemodynamic forces that selectively accelerate blood movement remain incompletely characterized. Wave intensity analysis offers insight into the respective contributions of the heart and the vascular system to changes in blood circulation during physiological stress; however, the specific impact of hyperthermia on wave intensity metrics has not been elucidated comprehensively. To address this, we investigated wave speed and wave intensity parameters in the common carotid artery, along with local arterial distensibility in the internal carotid, brachial and common femoral arteries, in addition to total arterial compliance, in eight healthy males across four protocols: (1) 3 h of control measurements in normothermic conditions; (2) 3 h of one-leg heating; (3) 3 h of two-leg heating; and (4) 2.5 h of whole-body heating. Forward compression (1.5-fold; P = 0.041) and forward expansion (5.2-fold; P < 0.0001) waves in the common carotid artery (indices of ventricular contractility and late-systolic blood flow deceleration, respectively) increased exclusively during whole-body heating. In contrast, backward compression waves, wave speed, distensibility and reflection index remained unaltered across all conditions. Notably, distensibility in the major conduit arteries perfusing the brain (internal carotid artery), forearm (brachial artery) and leg (common femoral artery), in addition to total arterial compliance, remained unchanged across all conditions. Collectively, these findings suggest that increases in blood circulation within specific regions of the human body during passive hyperthermia are largely independent of conduit artery mechanics and cardiac performance.We thank all the participants for their commitment throughout the study. This multi-study investigation was conducted at the Centre for Human Performance, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Brunel University of London, between March 2017 and March 2018 and was partially supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (JSPS KAKENHI) grant numbers 19K20034 and 21K17582. No external funding was received for this follow-up study
Examining how human-centred design and information design could help reduce language barriers between immigrant parents and Turkish primary teachers
Full text linkThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis research develops an information design guideline for Turkish primary school management teams, grounded in Human-Centred Design (HCD) principles, to address language barriers experienced between immigrant parents and teachers. Background research highlights that Syrian student, the largest immigrant group in Türkiye, face low educational attainment, which undermines their academic success, future prospects, social cohesion, and the host country’s human capital. Recognising the critical role of parental involvement in children’s education, this study identifies language barriers as the primary obstacle to effective engagement. Secondary findings revealed that these barriers are context-dependent and interconnected with emotional, cultural, and knowledge-related challenges, which were further investigated through primary research. A case study was conducted in Istanbul with 38 participants identified through stakeholder analysis. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and card-sorting activities, and analysed through thematic analysis and conceptual mapping.
The research broadened the understanding of language barriers. Emotional barriers were characterised by high expectations from both parties and limited empathy, although positive teacher attitudes and support from local parents were also identified as facilitating factors. Cultural barriers stemmed from differences in lifestyles and mindsets, while similarities, such as shared religious beliefs, provided common ground. Knowledge-related barriers were reflected in immigrant parents’ limited familiarity with the host country’s education system; however, these challenges could be mitigated by the approachability of Turkish teachers. To address these issues, expert insights informed the development of a guideline for school managers, organised into six recommendations with differentiated priority levels: language support and clear meeting protocols as essential measures; orientation courses and social activities as recommended measures; and shared spaces, together with visual and physical modifications, as additional supportive measures.
The prototype guideline was evaluated with five schools (12 participants) and ten experts through semi-structured questionnaires and interviews, with iterative refinements applied. The findings highlighted the need to extend the guideline beyond school management to all school personnel, with certain revisions, as well as to provide a tailored, concise version for parents. In addition, policy-level guidelines were developed, emphasising the dual need for policies that outline expectations for immigrant communities while fostering a welcoming environment within the host society. Future research will focus on advancing these recommendations at the policy level to support systemic change.Turkish Ministry of National Educatio
Household targeting of social cash transfer programmes: transnational poverty alleviation and community subversion in Malawi and Lesotho
No full textData availability:
I have shared a link to the data used.Social cash transfer schemes that provide small regular payments to poor people have become a key social protection tool in many African countries. Such schemes often employ household targeting, ostensibly to maximise poverty alleviation, based on assumptions about households and their functioning. Building on geographical work on both cash transfers and the household, we demonstrate how three starkly different versions of the household – imagined, documented and lived – are entailed in the design, implementation and outcomes of targeting.
We draw on datasets from a project that explored how social cash transfers intervene in household and community relations in two household targeted schemes: Malawi’s Social Cash Transfer Programme and Lesotho’s Child Grant. First, 109 interviews with key national and international stakeholders explored how the two household targeting designs reflect transnational political, technocratic and ideological considerations. Second, ethnographic research in two rural communities, focused around 20 recipient households, examined how the schemes play out in people’s lives.
Going beyond analyses that see cash transfer schemes as products of multi-scalar relations, with households as the most local end of a global–local spectrum, we identify three mismatched versions of the household, each intersecting across multiple spatial scales. The imagined household of the scheme blueprint (stable and easily defined) is a product of transnational relations between a range of actors. This is translated into a documented household, inscribed in national beneficiary registers that direct funding to specific constellations of individuals. The lived household, distinct from both, is fluid and porous and responds reflexively to the payments. Ultimately, the mismatch between these three households breeds resentment and undermines the legitimacy of the schemes, leading to their local subversion or reinterpretation. Finally, we propose that this three-fold conceptualisation of the household may be useful to geographers seeking to understand the effects of a diversity of social policy interventions that target households.This research was funded through the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research (ES/M009076/1) and received ethical approval from Brunel University London (0104MHRMar/20162627) and Malawi’s National Commission for Science and Technology (REF NO.NCST/RTT/2/6)
Internal Deportation
Full text linkShort Abstract:
This article introduces the concept of internal deportation as a form of intra-state expulsion of citizens to their ‘spaces of origin’.This article introduces the concept of internal deportation as a form of intra-state expulsion of citizens to their ‘spaces of origin’. Drawing on nine years of multi-sited, participatory, ethnographic, and feminist research in Nepal, I examine how multiple state and non-state organisations forcibly return women migrating for sex and domestic work to their spaces of origin, which are often structured by the hierarchies of gender, class, caste, and indigeneity. I demonstrate how internal deportation seeks to immobilise Nepali citizens within the existing hierarchies that they have sought to escape through their migration projects. The article contributes to deportation studies by demonstrating that deportability is a condition which operates within the spaces of origin for some citizens, continues in the host countries where they become 'immigrants', and persists upon their return to their spaces of origin after deportation...
A Systematic Review on Life Cycle Assessment of Prefabricated Buildings
Full text linkData availability:
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.Supplementary materials are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772737825000380?via%3Dihub#sec0032 .The construction sector has a significant impact on the environment, highlighting the need for sustainable building practices to decrease the emissions and propose alternative construction solutions. In this framework, prefabricated construction methods offer a promising solution, providing benefits such as reduced material waste, improved energy efficiency, and alignment with net-zero principles. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach represents a key tool for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings throughout their entire life cycle, enabling a direct comparison between prefabricated and traditional construction methods. This systematic review examines the application of LCA methodologies to assess the environmental impacts of modular and prefabricated buildings. By analysing recent peer-reviewed articles, this study investigates the use of key LCA elements, including software, databases, System Boundaries, Functional Unit, and environmental impact categories. The impact categories analysis indicates that, in terms of global warming potential, 1 m² of structure impacts an average of 325, 327, and 389 kg CO₂ eq for steel, wood, and concrete, respectively, for phases A and C. Furthermore, this review highlights and discusses the main limitations and the research gaps of the current studies of LCA methodology applied to modular construction, emphasising the need to intervene on five potential improvement areas: (i) methodological development, (ii) policy implications, (iii) stakeholder engagement and awareness, (iv) digital tools and innovation and (v) Circular Economy (CE) integration.This research received no external funding
Towards nature-positive engineering: nature-based solutions in attenuating coastal hydrometeorological hazards
Full text linkCoastal and deltaic regions are highly vulnerable to hydrometeorological hazards such as storms, flooding, and extreme temperatures—risks that are intensifying under climate change. While hard engineering structures (e.g., levees, seawalls) remain widely used, they can be costly, ecologically disruptive, and may exacerbate hazard complexity. Nature-based solutions (NbS), including mangroves, salt marshes, and other coastal ecosystems, offer sustainable and often cost-effective alternatives or complementarities that can mitigate hazards while delivering ecological and societal co-benefits. However, their effectiveness is difficult to assess due to diverse methodological approaches, site-specific coastal dynamics, and inconsistent reporting indicators. This study synthesises the scientific evidence base on the effectiveness of NbS in reducing hydrometeorological hazards in coastal and deltaic environments and evaluates the robustness of methods used to assess their performance. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 383 peer-reviewed English-language articles published between 2008 and 2024 was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocols and the PICO framework. Using an evaluation approach adapted from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, each study was assessed for evidence robustness, level of agreement, and overall confidence. The meta-analysis provides quantitative estimates of NbS effectiveness and highlights substantial uncertainties arising from ecological variability, methodological inconsistencies, and heterogeneity in hazard indicators (e.g., wave height, flow velocity, water level, temperature) and measurement units. Findings show that NbS effectiveness is highly context dependent and influenced by site characteristics, ecological dimensions, system configuration, and hazard intensity. The study emphasises the need for standardised, hazard-specific indicators and greater use of integrated methodological approaches to strengthen the reliability and comparability of future assessments. It also identifies opportunities for advancing hybrid or nature-positive engineering solutions that combine NbS with conventional infrastructure to enhance coastal resilience.This study was funded by the Leverhulme Trust through an Early Career Fellowship awarded to MSGA [grant reference ECF-2023-074]. ASK acknowledges support from the IUCN Global EbA Fund through the project ‘Upscaling Mangrove Restoration for Coastal Hazard Reduction in a Deltaic Environment: Prioritizing Restoration Efforts for Nature-based Solutions in the Volta Delta’. CJW acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under the project ‘Multi-hazard and risk informed system for enhanced local and regional disaster risk management (MEDiate)’ project [grant agreement No. 101074075]
A parametric evaluation of rooftop photovoltaic utilization and yield density considering urban morphology effects
Full text linkHighlights:
• This study offers context-sensitive data-driven models for evaluating rooftop PV Utilization and PV Yield Density.
• Regression models were developed to predict rooftop PV Utilization and PV Yield Density in Cairo.
• Correlation and multicollinearity analysis were conducted to identify effective predictors.
• RTFA % and sunhours % were found to be the main variables affecting rooftop PV Utilization (R2 = 91.85 %).
• Incorporating sunhours % improved the prediction accuracy of PV Yield Density compared to using only obstruction angles.Data availability:
Data will be made available on request.Urban morphology plays a critical role in shaping the energy utilization potential of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, with key factors including building height, available roof area, as well as obstruction angles and orientation influencing shading patterns and solar exposure. Previous research highlighted the impact of building and urban forms on enhancing solar energy utilization and decreasing energy demands. However, the development of a simple design model that captures the relationship between key design parameters and their impact on PV Utilization potential and Yield Density requires further large-scale investigation. This study aims to develop design-oriented regression models that enable practitioners to reliably estimate PV technical potential in the early stages of the design process. A comprehensive parametric analysis with around 1,000 simulation runs were conducted to evaluate and predict rooftop PV energy performance, emphasizing the influence of building and urban design parameters. Correlation analysis and regression models are developed to interpret the parametric relations and utilization potential of PV on building’s rooftop in Cairo, Egypt. Results indicate that roof-to-total floor area (RTFA %) and sunhours % are the most significant predictors of PV Utilization. These variables interact such that the sensitivity of PV Utilization in response to sunhours variations is doubled with every increase in RTFA %. In contrast, sunhours % and South obstruction angle are found to be the effective predictors of PV Yield Density. This study provides valuable insights for informed decision making, enabling the design of urban environments that maximize solar energy utilization and support sustainable development.This research is part of the ISPF Early Career Fellowship Scheme – Egypt, sponsored by the British Council through the International Science Partnerships Fund. It falls under the sub-project titled “Nurturing Early Career Fellows in Climate Resilient and Sustainable Built Environment Research Agenda”
Mandated joint audits: are two auditors better than one?
No full textJEL Classification:
K22; M42; M48.Data availability:
Data will be made available upon request.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom called for the nation’s largest accounting firms to conduct mandatory joint audits of FTSE 350 companies to enhance audit competition, reduce market concentration, and improve audit quality. Using a large sample of European companies, this study estimates the impact of the proposed regulation, leveraging the long-standing mandatory joint audit requirement for French companies and more recent legislation in other European jurisdictions. We empirically examine the influence of joint audits on audit fees, Going Concern Opinions (GCO), and audit risk. We find that higher audit fees for French companies with mandatory joint audits coincide with reduced audit risk, which we theorize is a primary benefit of the regulation. Our tests support the hypothesis that higher joint audit fees reflect additional effort and improved audit quality. We also corroborate this finding in the context of audit quality, using an auditor’s propensity to issue a GCO as a proxy. Our evidence supports the theory that joint audits improve audit quality by reducing audit risk.This work was partially supported by the MtA President Research Creative Activities Fund [49–1-595314, 2019–2022] and MtA Marjorie Young Bell Faculty Fund [31–1-505095, 2019–2022]
OPTIMIZING HYPERPARAMETER TUNING IN MACHINE LEARNING MODELS FOR FLOW BOILING IN MICROTUBES WITH BAYESIAN INFORMATION CRITERION
No full text...The support of EPSRC (EP/T033045/1) for the work at Brunel University of London and the help of Dr. A. Al-Zaidi in collating the data are acknowledged
Observation of Production at the CMS Experiment
No full textA version of the article arXiv:2510.19080v2 [hep-ex] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19080). Comments: Replaced with the published version. Added the journal reference and the DOI. All the figures and tables can be found at https://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/TOP-24-009/ (CMS Public Pages). Report number: CMS-TOP-24-009, CERN-EP-2025-205. Journal reference: Phys. Rev. Lett. 136 (2026) 081802. Submission history: From: The CMS Collaboration: [v1] Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:11:33 UTC (480 KB); [v2] Mon, 2 Mar 2026 13:49:20 UTC (484 KB).The first observation of single top quark production in association with a and a boson in proton-proton collisions is reported. The analysis uses data at center-of-mass energies of 13 and 13.6 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 200 fb⁻¹. Events with three or four charged leptons, which can be electrons or muons, are selected. Advanced machine-learning algorithms and improved reconstruction methods, compared to an earlier analysis, result in an unprecedented sensitivity to production. The measured cross sections for production are 248 ± 52 fb and 242 ± 77 fb for √ = 13 and 13.6 TeV, respectively. The signal is established with a statistical significance of 5.8 standard deviations, with 3.5 expected, compared to the background-only hypothesis.SCOAP³
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