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Electoral Reform and Legislative Behaviour: Evidence from Denmark’s Transition to Proportional Representation
No full textData Availability Statement:
The data and replication file i uploaded to the Harvard Dataverse (Harvard Dataverse: https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/wfcskv).Supporting Information is available online at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lsq.70056#support-information-section .This article examines the effect of electoral system reform on legislative speech-making by Members of Parliament (MPs), focusing on the case of Denmark's 1918 shift from single-member districts (SMD) to proportional representation (PR) in elections to the lower chamber. While the relationship between electoral systems and MP behavior is well established, few studies have been able to isolate causal effects using a natural control group. Leveraging the unique institutional configuration of Denmark's bicameral parliament—where the upper chamber remained unaffected by the reform—this study applies a difference-in-differences design to assess how reform shaped parliamentary behavior. Using a novel dataset covering all MPs between 1901 and 1939, the analysis compares both the absolute number of speeches delivered and the relative speech frequency of MPs across 1 electoral periods. The results demonstrate that MPs in the reformed lower chamber spoke significantly less following the introduction of PR, aligning their behavior more closely with that of MPs in the unreformed upper chamber. These findings hold across both outcome measures and after accounting for relevant controls, including seniority, party affiliation, and chamber-specific institutional differences. The analysis provides strong support for the argument that PR enhances party control over individual legislators and reduces incentives for personal vote-seeking via speech-making. The article contributes to the broader literature on electoral systems and legislative behavior, and offers new historical insight into the institutional development of representative democracy in early twentieth-century Europe
Modelling the impact of Bikeability cycle training on the number of people killed or seriously injured on UK roads
No full textData availability:
Our data can be found here: doi: 10.17632/3rdb6vk5pw.1Acknowledgements:
This article is the culmination of work performed by TRL [formerly Transport Research Laboratory] that is summarised in this publicly available report: https://www.trl.co.uk/news/research-highlights-the--critical--role-of-bikeability-cycle-training .Introduction:
Road traffic collisions and the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSIs) are shaped by multiple factors. However, the role of cycle training in influencing KSIs has received little attention, despite Bikeability – a UK government-funded cycle training programme – having been delivered to millions of schoolchildren since 2007. This study aimed to examine whether higher levels of Bikeability training are associated with reductions in cyclist-involved KSIs across English local authorities.
Methods:
Poisson and Negative Binomial models were applied to publicly available local authority-level data, controlling for population size, cycling prevalence, and geographic variation. Overall KSI rates and cyclist-involved KSI rates were analysed over a ten-year period across 112 local authorities in England.
Findings:
The exploratory analysis identified a weak but statistically significant negative association between Bikeability Level 2 training delivery and cyclist-involved KSI rates. Specifically, higher levels of Bikeability Level 2 training were associated with lower KSI rates. In contrast, greater traffic volumes and higher deprivation levels were linked to increased KSI rates.
Conclusions:
Bikeability Level 2 training may represent one of several factors that contribute to improved cyclist safety on roads. Nonetheless, further research is needed to strengthen this evidence base, ideally through studies that can establish causal relationships.This work was funded by The Bikeability Trust, using Development Funding allocated by Active Travel England
Integrating Generative Models with Pseudo-Time to Build Realistic Image Trajectories of Eye Disease
No full text........
A comment on Granberg et al. (2025)
Full text linkForms part of the public project: Brodeur, Abel. 2026. “Reproduction of "publishing While Female: Are Women Held to Higher Standards? Evidence from Peer Review".” OSF. January 27. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/ZB73Y. The full reproduction report is available under "Files". The author [Erin Hengel] responded in December 2024. The replicators' response and author's first response are also available under "Files" at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZB73Y .Hengel's response to Granberg et al. (2025)
Randomised-controlled feasibility study evaluating the REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) intervention for reducing sitting in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a process evaluation
No full textData availability statement:
Data are available in a public, open access repository. The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are available in Figshare, 10.17633/rd.brunel.25144490. The raw qualitative data (transcripts) are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions. Further details on the qualitative data and analysis that supports the findings of this study are available upon request to the corresponding author.Strengths and Limitations of This Study:
⇒ A comprehensive mixed- methods process evaluation was conducted that has strengthened the learnings from this feasibility trial.
⇒ Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated to provide an in- depth understanding of factors affecting trial and intervention implementation.
⇒ The quantitative data analysis was limited to the participants who responded to the process evaluation questionnaires, which could influence the findings.Objectives: The REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) is a tailored intervention targeting reductions and breaks in sitting in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A feasibility trial of RESIT had been conducted and the purpose of this paper is to report findings from the process evaluation.
Design: A mixed-methods process evaluation within a randomised controlled feasibility trial.
Setting: The study was conducted remotely in the community.
Participants: Ambulatory individuals with T2DM aged 18–85 years.
Intervention: A tailored intervention comprising an online education session, regular health coaching and technology for self-monitoring behaviour and prompting breaks in sitting.
Primary and secondary outcome measures: Questionnaires (intervention participants n=22 at both 3 and 6 months; control participants n=21 at 3 months, n=29 at 6 months) and interviews (n=30, with n=13 intervention participants, n=12 control participants, n=5 health coaches) to assess perceptions of the intervention components, strategies and barriers for sitting less, the role of the study evaluation measures, and reasons for taking part.
Results: The trial operated a largely successful online education element for those in the intervention group (82% completion; ≥76% engagement in individual educational elements). There was good use of self-monitoring and prompt technology (apps and wearables) with 73% of participants reporting using these at 6 months. Health coaching had high engagement and was perceived as enjoyable and useful. Data revealed strategies used for behaviour change (eg, active functional tasks) alongside barriers to change (eg, restrictions at work). There were also potential behavioural influences from the study evaluation measures (eg, activity measures increasing awareness and execution of behaviours) for both intervention and control participants.
Conclusions: A comprehensive process evaluation identified successful intervention elements (ie, online education, health coaching, wearables and smartphone apps) alongside strategies and barriers to behaviour change. These findings can inform future sedentary behaviour interventions for adults with T2DM and a definitive randomised controlled trial evaluating RESIT.
Trial registration number: ISRCTN14832389.This work was supported by Diabetes UK grant number (19/0005972). This research is also supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care
Nanoscale Fe-Containing Intermetallic Formation in Al-Fe-Mn-Si Alloys: Unveiling a Rare Explosive Nucleation Pathway under Liquid Confinement
Full text linkData availability:
Data will be made available on request.This is a PDF of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance,
such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability.
This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it
is published in its final form. As such, this version is no longer the Accepted
Manuscript, but it is not yet the definitive Version of Record; we are providing
this early version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that Elsevier’s
sharing policy for the Published Journal Article applies to this version, see:
https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/sharing#4-publishedjournal-
article. Please also note that, during the production process, errors may be
discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to
the journal pertain.Iron (Fe) is an unavoidable impurity in recycled aluminium (Al), where the formation of Fe-containing intermetallic compounds (Fe-IMCs) severely reduces ductility and performance due to their coarse morphology. The nucleation difficulty of Fe-IMCs remains a critical barrier to both Fe removal efficiency and refinement of Fe-IMCs as secondary phases, limiting the use of recycled feedstock in high-performance applications. Conventional approaches have focused on development potent grain refiners to promote heterogeneous nucleation by providing structural and compositional templating. However, despite advances in nucleation theory and refiner development, significant refinement of Fe-IMCs has proven elusive. In this study, we report an unexpected case of impeding heterogeneous nucleation, where nanoscale Fe-IMCs explosively form within confined oxide films in an Al-Fe-Mn-Si alloy. Using advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) we reveal that dense amorphous oxide films and carbides act as substrates for impeding nucleation. These results highlight how that confinement oxide films can activate non-classical nucleation pathways, offering the other possibility to control Fe-IMC formation and enhance the upcycling potential of recycled Al alloys.EPSRC (UK) under grant number EP/N007638/1 (Future Liquid Metal Engineering Hub); Brunel University of London BRIEF award (11937131)
Deep learning for epileptic seizure prediction from EEG signals: A review
Full text linkData availability:
No data was used for the research described in the article.Epilepsy, a chronic noncommunicable brain disease affecting nearly 1% of the global population across all ages, manifests through seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Electroencephalogram (EEG) records the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain which is more suitable for analysing Epileptic Seizure (ES) than other modalities such as functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). ES prediction aims to provide advanced warning to patients, allowing timely intervention and preventing dangerous situations. Deep Learning (DL) has emerged as a promising approach for ES prediction due to its superior noise removal capabilities, nonlinear feature representation, and strong classification ability. This paper presents a comprehensive review of DL-based approaches for ES prediction in last 5 years, highlighting current research trends, identifying existing challenges, and suggesting potential future research directions.Brunel University London; Royal Society, United Kingdom (IEC\NSFC\223285); National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program) No. 62171073
“Nickel and cobalt catalysis in biomass carbonization for bio-anodes in microbial fuel cells: Impact on structure and electrochemical performance”
No full textHighlights:
• Nickel and cobalt catalyzed the carbonization of cabbage core waste.
• Modified bio-anodes were tested in double-chamber microbial fuel cells.
• CW-800 showed the highest power density despite no metal doping.
• Metal doping reduced biofilm formation due to microbial toxicity.
• Bacterial strains were identified and linked to anode surface performance.Data availability:
• The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
• All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714426000401?via%3Dihub#s0155 .The anode is a very critical element that affects the performance of microbial fuel cells(MFCs). Carbonization of biomass has proven to be a sustainable and efficient technique for making carbonaceous 3D anodes for MFCs. Moreover, transition metals are known for their catalytic potential in the carbonization process and electrochemical devices. In this study, we catalyze the carbonization of cabbage core waste using Nickel and Cobalt through a very simple technique and use them as anodes in double-chamber MFCs. The morphology and structure of the resulting electrodes were compared to those of the same type of biomass carbonized without modification.
Additionally, their electrochemical performance was compared by using them in MFCs. The maximum power density values obtained were 904.6, 170.3, 71.2, and 42 mW/m2 for the CW-800, Ni-800, Co-800, and carbon felt, respectively. The decrease in power density in MFCs assembled with the modified anodes can be attributed to the toxicity of the metals to the microorganisms. The findings of this study highlight the importance of balancing the concentration of doped metals in anodes used in MFCs. This work supports the advancement of the UNSDGs by contributing to Goals 6 (wastewater reuse), 7 (renewable bioenergy), 9 (low-cost green technologies), and 12 (circular resource use). The integration of microbiological and materials analysis offers a robust pathway for developing eco-friendly, high-performance MFC anodes.This research was funded by the Science, Technology &Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) Grant, which supported this work from the STDF Fund within the framework of the “Egyptian American Cooperation Grant” call 20, Egypt (Project ID 45898, C1130, 2021)
Bit-Efficient Quantisation for Two-Channel Modulo-Sampling Systems
Full text linkTwo-channel modulo analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) enable high-dynamic-range signal sensing at the Nyquist rate per channel, but existing designs quantise both channel outputs independently, incurring redundant bitrate costs. This paper proposes a bit-efficient quantisation scheme that exploits the integer-valued structure of inter-channel differences, transmitting one quantised channel output together with a compact difference index. We prove that this approach requires only 1-2 bits per signal sample overhead relative to conventional ADCs, despite operating with a much smaller per-channel dynamic range. Simulations confirm the theoretical error bounds and bitrate analysis, while hardware experiments demonstrate substantial bitrate savings compared with existing modulo sampling schemes, while maintaining comparable reconstruction accuracy. These results highlight a practical path towards high-resolution, bandwidth-efficient modulo ADCs for bitrate-constrained systems
Spatiotemporal Drought Assessment Projections for Climate-Resilient Planning in Distinct Mediterranean Agroecosystems
Full text linkData Availability Statement:
A summary of all datasets used in this study, including their temporal and spatial resolutions and their role in the workflow, is provided in Table S1 (Supplementary Materials: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/13/2/73#app1-hydrology-13-00073). The data presented in this study is available on request from the corresponding author.Drought is expected to intensify under climate change, posing significant risks to Mediterranean agroecosystems. This study provides long-term projections of drought and wetness conditions for three representative Mediterranean regions—Eastern Mancha (Spain), Sidi Bouzid Governorate (Tunisia), and the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon)—to support climate-resilient planning. Future monthly precipitation (2020–2050) was dynamically downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model under the RCP4.5 scenario, and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI12) was subsequently applied to quantify drought severity at annual and monthly scales. By integrating dynamically downscaled WRF projections with pixel-based SPI analysis across three spatially distinct Mediterranean regions, the study provides a novel, spatially explicit and comparative framework for assessing future drought and wetness extremes in support of climate-resilient planning. The results reveal spatial variability and moderate temporal fluctuations across the three regions, reflected in differing timings and intensities of their driest and wettest hydrological years. Spain is projected to experience its driest hydrological year in 2046–2047, Tunisia in 2030–2031, and Lebanon in 2047–2048. The wettest years are projected to occur in 2045–2046 for Spain and Tunisia, and in 2028–2029 for Lebanon. Although extreme drought events are not widely anticipated, localised severe dry periods emerge in many parts of the study areas. while in Lebanon, these conditions also extend into the winter and spring. These findings underscore the need for spatially targeted adaptation rather than uniform regional measures. Identifying both driest and wettest projected years enhances preparedness, informs water-resource optimisation, and supports agricultural land-use planning, especially in areas with favourable future climatic conditions. Integrating drought projections into multi-hazard planning (i.e., drought and floods) frameworks can further strengthen territorial resilience in regions facing increasing climate-related extremes.This research was funded by the SUPROMED project, Call 2018, under the PRIMA program of the European Commission (Grant Agreement No 1813)
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