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Climate-resilient railway networks: a resource-aware framework
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The inventory of bridges, embankments and network topology compiled for the case study analysis is available in Tafur et al. (2025)47, hosted on DesignSafe at https://doi.org/10.17603/ds2-vvtn-1h54. The storm surge hazard dataset is described in Bilskie et al. (2018)56, and available at https://doi.org/10.7289/v5fq9tvx.Code availability:
The code developed for the case study analysis is available at https://github.com/Padgett-Research-Group/Railway-Climate-Resilience.Supplementary information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44172-025-00493-4#Sec18 .Coastal hazards and climate change significantly threaten the resilience of railway systems, increasing stresses on global freight transportation, supply chains and economic stability. When it comes to system resilience, resource availability and allocation have been proven to be leading contributors to downtime and losses, alongside the physical vulnerability to extreme loads. To support the quantification and pursuit of system resilience, here we present a probabilistic framework that addresses gaps in resilience modeling of railway systems. Specifically, it systematically integrates tailored structural damage and restoration models across an infrastructure portfolio, while comparatively assessing network-level functionality over time with alternative approaches to recovery resource allocation. Applied to the railway network in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama, the framework estimates damage states, restoration costs and times, modeling drop and recovery of network functionality. Findings indicate that sea-level rise considerably affects service reinstatement, reducing resilience index up to 80% when combined with hurricanes. Resource allocation strategies also impact resilience, with variations resulting in up to 75% differences in resilience estimates. These results underscore the need to consider resource constraints and sea-level rise in resilience planning, offering nuanced resilience quantification to support decision-making for mitigation and response strategies, benefiting policymakers, infrastructure managers, insurers, and agencies.Anibal Tafur and Jamie E. Padgett gratefully acknowledge the support for this research by the Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States, under financial assistance awards 70NANB15H044 and 70NANB20H008. The Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning is a NIST-funded Center of Excellence, funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. National Institute of Science and Technology and Colorado State University. Sotirios Argyroudis and Stergios Mitoulis received funding by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee (grant agreement No: EP/X037665/1, EP/Y003586/1). This is the funding guarantee for the HORIZON-MSCA-2021-SE-01 (grant agreement No: 101086413) ReCharged - Climate-aware Resilience for Sustainable Critical and interdependent Infrastructure Systems enhanced by emerging Digital Technologies
Effect of Processing-Induced Oxides on the Fatigue Life Variability of 6082 Al-Mg-Si Alloy Extruded Components
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Data will be made available on request.Aluminium alloy 6082 is widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries due to its high strength-to-weight ratio. However, its structural integrity can sometimes be affected by an early fatigue failure. This study investigates the fatigue performance of extruded 6082-T6 samples through a series of fatigue tests conducted at varying stress levels. The material showed significant variability under identical fatigue conditions, suggesting the presence of microstructural defects. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) were used to identify the nature and location of the defects and evaluate the underlying mechanisms influencing the fatigue performance. Computer tomography (CT) also confirmed the presence of oxide inclusions on the fracture surface and near the edges of the samples. These oxide inclusions are distributed throughout the material heterogeneously and in the form of broken oxide films, suggesting that they might have originated during the material’s early processing stages. These oxides acted as stress concentrators, initiating microcracks that led to catastrophic and unpredictable early failure, ultimately reducing the fatigue life of micro-oxide-containing samples. These results highlight the need for better casting control and improved post-processing techniques to minimise the effect of oxide presence in the final components, thus enhancing their fatigue life.This research was funded by EPSRC (UK) for Circular Metals Project and grant number EP/V011804/1
iPLAN: Redefining Indoor Wireless Network Planning Through Large Language Models
Get PDFA preprint version of the article is available at arXiv:2507.19096v1 [cs.NI], https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.19096 . It has not been certified by peer review.Efficient indoor wireless network (IWN) planning is crucial for providing high-quality 5G in-building services. However, traditional meta-heuristic and artificial intelligence-based planning methods face significant challenges due to the intricate interplay between indoor environments (IEs) and IWN demands. In this article, we present an indoor wireless network Planning with large LANguage models (iPLAN) framework, which integrates multi-modal IE representations into large language model (LLM)-powered optimizers to improve IWN planning. First, we instate the role of LLMs as optimizers, outlining embedding techniques for IEs, and introducing two core applications of iPLAN: (i) IWN planning based on pre-existing IEs and (ii) joint design of IWN and IE for new wireless-friendly buildings. For the former, we embed essential information into LLM optimizers by leveraging indoor descriptions, domain-specific knowledge, and performance-driven perception. For the latter, we conceptualize a multi-agent strategy, where intelligent agents collaboratively address key planning sub-tasks in a step-by-step manner while ensuring optimal trade-offs between the agents. The simulation results demonstrate that iPLAN achieves superior performance in IWN planning tasks and optimizes building wireless performance through the joint design of IEs and IWNs, exemplifying a paradigm shift in IWN planning.The work of S. Bakirtzis is supported by the Foundation for Education and European Culture. This work is supported in part by the Eureka COMET (with funding from Innovate UK, No. 10099265) and Horizon Europe COVER project, No. 101086228 (with funding from UKRI grant EP/Y028031/1). K. Wang acknowledges the support by the Royal Society Industry Fellowship (IF\R2\23200104)
Correlates and determinants of physical activity among older adults of lower versus higher socio-economic status: a systematic review and meta-analysis
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The datasets generated and analysed during the current study, analytic code for the meta-analyses and extraction of additional data from publicly available datasets, results of sensitivity and sub-group analyses, funnel plots, and Egger’s regression tests, as well as a complete record of independent variables, higher-order exposures, and studies that were included in this review but not meta-analysed are available in the GitHub repository, https://github.com/OliviaMalkowski/Meta-analysis-PA-SES. To adhere to statistical disclosure standards, all data cells pertaining to a sample size of 30 or below have been censored. These data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of the data owners, as outlined in the data availability statements of the original studies included in the systematic review.Collaborating authors in the Physical Activity Inequalities in Later Life consortium: Ahmad Alkhatib, Kyle J. Bourassa, Hannah Burnett, Mia Cajita, Simon Cook, Anne Corbett, Janie Corley, Simon R. Cox, Byron Creese, Katie Dudman, Joanne K. Garrett, Adam Hampshire, Coral L. Hanson, Melvyn Hillsdon, Jeroen Lakerveld, Agnieszka Lemanska, Laura Macdonald, Jane Maddock, Adilson Marques, Irene Mosca, David Ogilvie, Déborah Oliveira, Tytti P. Pasanen, Ilaria Pina, Alex V. Rowlands, Shaun Scholes, Lindsey G. Smith, Emma Solomon-Moore, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Yannick Stephan, Clare Stevinson, Tessa Strain, Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, and Carri Westgarth.Supplementary Information is available online at: https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-025-01775-y#Sec8 .Background:
Understanding socio-economic differences in the factors influencing physical activity among older adults is essential for developing comprehensive interventions. We aimed to quantify the associations of modifiable correlates and determinants on physical activity among older adults of lower versus higher socio-economic status in the United Kingdom.
Methods:
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Scopus from inception to December 2023, for peer-reviewed studies published in English, investigating associations between a modifiable factor as an independent variable and physical activity as a dependent variable, by socio-economic status (defined according to various area- and individual-level indicators, including neighbourhood deprivation, wealth or income, education, and occupational class), in samples of community-dwelling older adults aged 60+ years in the United Kingdom. Hospitalised and institutionalised populations were excluded. Random effects meta-analyses were performed separately for people of lower and higher socio-economic status. Risk of bias was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. This study was registered with the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42022351708).
Results:
Searches identified 11,472 references; seventy-seven studies met the selection criteria, of which fifty-one contributed to meta-analyses (N range = 134–29,280). Of the exposures positively associated with physical activity, physical function, social participation, and perception of general health had the largest effect sizes (standardised mean difference [SMD] range = 0.53–0.81; I2 range = 54.81–91.00%). Estimates were comparable among older adults of lower and higher socio-economic status, except for the presence of built physical activity facilities, access to walking and cycling infrastructure, and less smoking, which were positively associated with physical activity only among individuals of lower socio-economic status.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest researchers need to better understand discrepancies in the prevalence of the assessed correlates (e.g., fewer participants of lower socio-economic status reported good physical function) to inform policies that reduce inequalities in older adults’ physical activity levels. However, most studies were cross-sectional. Future longitudinal and experimental research should gauge the suitability of these correlates as intervention targets.This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council [ES/P000630/1]
System-Wide Analysis of the Plastics Value Chain in Indonesia: The Five Levels of Information
Get PDFSupplementary materials are available online at: https://circulareconomyjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Appendix_Iacovidou_et_al_System-Wide-Analysis-of-the-Plastics-Value-Chain-in-Indonesia-The-Five-Levels-of-Information.pdf .This study examines the complex challenges of achieving a circular plastics value chain in Indonesia. Applying the systems-based approach of Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery (CVORR), the study highlights the importance of understanding the dynamic interconnections between natural, social, economic, and political subsystems. The analysis reveals that rather than purely technical or financial, the barriers to circularity lie also in institutional frameworks, norms and power structures, that govern how resources are managed. Addressing these systemic lock-ins requires coordinated and inclusive strategies. These include strengthening regulatory frameworks to support infrastructure investment and innovation, advancing policy reforms and shifting societal norms. Achieving the adoption of such holistic, system-wide interventions is the only pathway to supporting Indonesia’s vision to transition to a circular plastics economy; a transformation that must be driven by human agency and underpinned by strong political will. This approach, if effectively implemented, will provide a robust foundation for far-reaching environmental, economic, technical and societal benefits.The research was financially supported by the PISCES research project and partnership program (NE/V006428/1). The authors would like to thank the many stakeholders and members of the PISCES partnership for their valuable comments and suggestions that improved the quality of the paper
BMP antagonist CHRDL2 enhances the cancer stem-cell phenotype and increases chemotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer
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The data are available within the article and/or the Supporting Information. The RNA sequencing raw data and associated files have been deposited on the Gene Expression Omnibus GSE253554.Supporting Information is available online at: https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1878-0261.70064#support-information-section .Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists have been increasingly linked to the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). BMP signalling operates in opposition to the WNT signalling pathway, which sustains stem-cell maintenance and self-renewal of the normal intestinal epithelium. Reduced BMP and elevated WNT signalling lead to expansion of the stem-cell compartment and the hyperproliferation of epithelial cells, a defining characteristic of CRC. Chordin-like-2 (CHRDL2) is a secreted BMP antagonist, with overexpression linked to poor prognosis and variants in the gene shown to be associated with an elevated CRC risk. However, the detailed mechanism by which CHRDL2 contributes to CRC is unknown. In this study, we explored the impact of CHRDL2 overexpression on CRC cells to investigate whether CHRDL2's inhibition of BMP signalling intensifies WNT signalling and enhances the cancer stem-cell phenotype and response to treatment. Our research approach combines 2D cancer cell lines engineered to inducibly overexpress CHRDL2 and 3D organoid models treated with extrinsic CHRDL2, complemented by RNA sequencing analysis. CHRDL2 was found to enhance the survival of organoids and CRC cells during chemotherapy and irradiation treatment due to activation of DNA damage response pathways. Organoids treated with secreted CHRDL2 exhibited elevated levels of stem-cell markers and reduced differentiation, as evidenced by diminished villi budding. RNA-seq analysis revealed that CHRDL2 increased the expression of stem-cell markers, WNT signalling and other well-established cancer-associated pathways through BMP inhibition. These findings collectively suggest that CHRDL2 overexpression could affect response to CRC therapy by enhancing DNA repair and the stem-cell potential of cancer cells, and its role as a biomarker should be further explored.Funding for this project and studentship for E.C was provided by Bowel Research UK: project title ‘Investigating variations in two genes that increase the risk of bowel cancer’
Framework for Change: Guiding directions, principles and aims of the Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund
Get PDFSupporting Evidence Report 1 for the National Evaluation of the Regional Integration Fund.National Evaluation of the Regional Integration Fund Study team: Mark Llewellyn, Fiona Verity, Heledd Bebb, Nia Bryer, Deborah Fitzsimmons, Tony Garthwaite, Mary Lynch, Llinos Haf Spencer, Sion Tetlow, Carolyn Wallace, and Sarah Wallace. Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales; Brunel University London; Swansea University, OB3 Research, and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. Study Principal lead: Professor Mark Llewellyn1 Director of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, and Professor of Health and Care Policy, University of South Wales [email protected] .This is the Framework for Change Report which is one of four documents providing supporting evidence for the Conceptualisation Report of the National Evaluation of the Regional Integration Fund. Three others provide supporting evidence – the Rapid Realist Review of the literature (Tetlow et al., 2024); the Group Concept Mapping report on conceptualising the Regional Integration Fund (Wallace and Wallace, 2024): and the in-depth Scoping Interviews report (Bryer and Bebb, 2024).The Welsh Government
Black Boxes: Flat Worlds, Automated Subjects, and the Air France 447 Disaster
Get PDFWhen Air France flight 447 was lost in the Atlantic in 2009, stories about the disaster were initially set in the real space of the sky and ocean. Journalists and investigators searched for clues to a reality hidden in the depths of the sea. After the discovery of the aircraft's ‘black box’ flight recorders two years later, the volumes that had governed earlier narratives were replaced by network imagery spreading over a flat plane. This article explores the agency of the flight recorders in producing this narrative shift. It uses that insight to argue that the conceptual spaces of contemporary life may have a patchy quality, and thus that social scientific methodologies based on network imagery may not be universally applicable
Adaptive Double-Branch Fusion Conditional Diffusion Model for Underwater Image Restoration
Get PDFUnderwater images suffer from light absorption and scattering, impairs their visibility and applications. Existing underwater image restoration (UIR) methods based on generative models struggle are difficult to adapt to the complex and dynamic underwater environments characterized by illumination interference, low-light conditions, and non-uniform turbidity. To address these issues, we propose Water-CDM, a novel Adaptive Double-Branch Fusion Conditional Diffusion Model for underwater image restoration. Specifically, an adaptive double-branch fusion conditional diffusion model is presented utilizing a U-shaped full-attention network and Guided Multi-Scale Retinex with Brightness Correction (GMSRBC) to restore the challenging regions within underwater images. More precisely, to correct color casts and enhance the sharpness of underwater images, a U-shaped full-attention network incorporating Attention Blocks is designed for noise estimation during the reverse process of the conditional diffusion model. Concurrently, to mitigate overexposure during the enhancement of low-light underwater images under illumination interference, the GMSRBC method, featuring an Adaptive Brightness Correction Module, is proposed to efficiently adjust the brightness of underwater images. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Water-CDM significantly improves the quality of underwater images in challenging scenarios. Encouragingly, our proposed Water-CDM yields superior restoration outcomes compared to current state-of-the-art methods on three challenging publicly available datasets. Our codes will be released at: https://github.com/HKandWJJ/Water-CDM.Scientific Research Program Funded by Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government (Grant Number: 23JP014 and 23JP022);
10.13039/501100015401-Key Research and Development Projects of Shaanxi Province (Grant Number: 2024GX-YBXM-121);
10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 62201334 and 62271296)
Reflections on Community Development, Preventative Care, and Ageing
Get PDFRecently there has been a chorus of demands to “re‐imagine” social care. Community and faith‐based organisations, policy, and academic communities are engaged in discussions on issues such as human rights for older populations, the future of residential care, how to better support family/community care, and strengthen local place‐based community development. Moreover, the Covid‐19 pandemic has added new urgency to this mission, galvanizing developments for change and collective action and exposing public troubles of endemic system failings, prevailing discourses of ageism, tensions with health systems, and limitations of market models of care and support. Prevention is a central social welfare principle in many countries. It is associated with policy and practices that aim to meet social care needs early and is explored in this thematic issue
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