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Acute and brief air pollution exposure impairs personal and social well-being and quality of life: empirical evidence from India
Get PDFAir pollution is well-documented to negatively impact mental health, but its effects on positive mental health indicators, including quality of life (QOL) and personal and social well-being (PSWB), remain underexplored. This study examined the relationships between acute (24-hour) and brief (7- and 14-day) exposure to air pollution and QOL and PSWB, considering both individual pollutants and aggregate indices like Air Quality Index (AQI) and empirically derived indices (e.g., Emission-Based Pollutants, EBP). Participants (N = 322) completed self-reported measures of QOL and PSWB during winter or monsoon seasons. Air pollution data from nearby Central Pollution Control Board stations were analysed for three exposure durations. Findings revealed that acute exposure to most pollutants, AQI, and EBP significantly reduced QOL in the social relationship domain, while photochemical and oxidative pollutants were associated with physical, psychological, and environmental domains. For brief exposures, associations were pollutant-specific, with NO₂ and CO impacting social relationships both at 7 and 14 days, and O₃ only at 14 days. PSWB showed more consistent negative correlations with air pollutants and aggregate indices across all exposure durations, with personal well-being particularly vulnerable. The findings highlight the acute and brief impacts of air pollution on positive mental health, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.This study was supported by the Doctoral Research Fellowship (Grant/Award Number: RFD/2022-23/GEN/PSY/276) from the Indian Council of Social Science Research, awarded to the first author (AP) and a Brunel Research Impact Accelerator in Developing Countries grant (Award/Grant number: 11139111) to VK and RP
The role of solute clusters in the nucleation of precipitates in Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloys
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The raw and processed data required to reproduce these findings is confidential.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589152925001164?via%3Dihub#appSB .In this work the precipitation behaviour of both high and low Cu variants of a Al-6xxx alloy were investigated with and without natural ageing. The material yield strength was greater in the high Cu alloy and without natural ageing. The strength was seen to correspond to changes in precipitate number density and a mechanism of dislocation bowing around these precipitates. In the samples without natural ageing, Cu was seen to increase the number density of nuclei and hence the final precipitate number density. In the samples with natural ageing, solute clusters were observed to dissolve during subsequent artificial ageing, but a higher proportion remained in the high Cu alloy and acted as nucleation sites for further precipitation.The authors would like to thank Constellium for providing the materials and financially supporting this research alongside the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) through studentship 1922133. The authors would also like to thank Constellium staff for their support of the DSC experiments. The authors are grateful to EPSRC for funding of the LEAP 5000XR for the UK National Atom Probe Facility through grant EP/M022803/1
Internalizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in ASM: The making of small-scale miners as environmental and work safety “‘champions’”
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While the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining sector is far from a new occurrence, far less common is an examination of the CSR-related activities of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) firms. Drawing on Carroll (1991) four-part model of CSR as a lens, this paper aims to explore the discursive construction of some socioenvironmentally oriented activities of a small-scale mining operator to extend our understanding of CSR in practice.
Design/methodology/approach:
This study employs a qualitative research design involving semistructured interviews with the management and staff of a small-scale mining company located in the Eastern region of Ghana.
Findings:
The findings suggest small-scale mining operators, contrary to the dominant narrative of being inattentive to CSR concerns, could strategically leverage salient environmental management practices and novel worker safety procedures to make them unanticipated champions of CSR.
Originality/value:
The study extends our understanding of how salient organizing practices of small-scale mining firms may cohere to give shape and form to the practice of CSR in context
First Exclusive Reconstruction of the <sup>*+</sup>, <sup>*0</sup>, and <sup>*0</sup><inf></inf> Mesons and Precise Measurement of Their Masses
No full textData availability—
Release and preservation of data used by the CMS Collaboration as the basis for publications is guided by the CMS data preservation, reuse, and open access policy [46]. CMS data availability statement, 10.7483/OPENDATA.CMS.1BNU.8V1W.Supplemental Material:
Fit projections in extra rapidity rangesand systematic uncertainties in the differences and ratios of the mass differences is available online at: https://journals.aps.org/prl/supplemental/10.1103/njf9-4zfv/BPH-24-011_supp-jnl.pdf .A version of the article is available at arXiv:2508.05820v2 [hep-ex] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.05820). Comments: Replaced with the published version. Added the journal reference and DOI. All the figures and tables can be found at https://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/BPH-24-011 (CMS Public Pages). Report number: CMS-BPH-24-011, CERN-EP-2025-162. Journal reference: Phys. Rev. Lett. 136 (2026) 031902. Submission history: From: The CMS Collaboration: [v1] Thu, 7 Aug 2025 19:46:36 UTC (499 KB); [v2] Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:37:56 UTC (499 KB).Using proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at √ = 13 TeV in 2016–2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1, the first full reconstruction of the three vector meson states, *+, *0, and *0, is performed. The mass differences between the excited mesons and their corresponding ground states are measured to be (*+) − (+) = 45.277 ±0.039 ±0.027 MeV, (*0) − (0) = 45.471 ±0.056 ±0.028 MeV, and (*0) − (0) = 49.407 ±0.132 ±0.041 MeV, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. These results improve on the precision of previous measurements by an order of magnitude.SCOAP³
Probing Gluon Fluctuations in Nuclei with the First Energy-Dependent Measurement of Incoherent / Photoproduction in Ultraperipheral PbPb Collisions
Get PDFA version of the article is available at arXiv:2503.08903v2 [nucl-ex] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.08903). Comments: Replaced with the published version. Added the journal reference and the DOI. All the figures and tables can be found at this http URL (CMS Public Pages). Report number: CMS-HIN-23-009, CERN-EP-2025-030. Journal reference: Phys. Rev. Lett. 135 (2025) 112301. Submission history: From: The CMS Collaboration: [v1] Tue, 11 Mar 2025 21:28:17 UTC (418 KB); [v2] Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:38:45 UTC (418 KB).Data availability—
Release and preservation of data used by the CMS Collaboration as the basis for publications is guided by the CMS data preservation, re-use and open access policy [66]. CMS collaboration (2020). 2020 CMS data preservation, re-use and open access policy. CERN Open Data Portal, 10.7483/OPENDATA.CMS.1BNU.8V1W.Incoherent / photoproduction in heavy ion ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) provides a sensitive probe of localized, fluctuating gluonic structures within heavy nuclei. This Letter reports the first measurement of the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy (N) dependence of this process in PbPb UPCs at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV, using 1.52 nb⁻¹ of data recorded by the CMS experiment. The measurement covers a wide N range of ≈ 40–400 GeV, probing gluons carrying a fraction of nucleon momentum down to an unexplored regime of 6.5 ×10⁻⁵. Compared to baseline predictions neglecting nuclear effects, the measured cross sections exhibit significantly greater suppression at lower . Additionally, the ratio of incoherent to coherent photoproduction is found to be constant across the probed N and range, disfavoring the establishment of the black disk limit. This Letter provides critical insights into the -dependent evolution of fluctuating gluonic structures within nuclei and calls for further advancements in theoretical models incorporating nuclear shadowing and gluon saturation.SCOAP³
Enhancing Intelligence in Multi-Agent Systems with Edge-Assisted Causal Knowledge Aggregation
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The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study, including occupancy grid maps, robot trajectories, and simulation results, are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Due to hardware-specific constraints, real-world UGV and TurtleBot4 data can be shared in processed form to ensure reproducibility.Dynamic and uncertain environments pose major challenges for multi-agent autonomous systems, particularly in achieving robust simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and efficient knowledge sharing across robots. Conventional data-driven methods often overlook underlying causal structures, resulting in spurious correlations and limited generalization. To address this, we present CASK—an edge-assisted causal knowledge aggregation framework that fuses structured causal inference with data-driven learning to improve adaptive decision-making. A key feature is a time-based normalization mechanism that ensures mapping consistency across varying operational speeds, enabling speed-independent transfer of spatial knowledge between heterogeneous agents. We validate CASK through simulations and real-world experiments using autonomous ground vehicles, a class of mobile robots. Results show substantial gains over state-of-the-art methods: up to 20% higher success at low speeds, 40% at high speeds, 50% lower trajectory deviation, and 45% fewer re-planning steps. These findings demonstrate how causal inference combined with mobile edge computing enables scalable, reliable, and generalizable autonomy in multi-agent systems.The authors acknowledge support from the University of Glasgow and the Scotland 5G Centre. We also thank colleagues at the James Watt School of Engineering for their technical guidance and provision of laboratory facilities. This work was supported in part by EPSRC Projects, CHEDDAR under Grant EP/X040518/1 and in part by CHEDDAR uplift under Grant EP/Y037421/1
“Service Children’s Champion”: An Evaluation at North Yorkshire Council
Get PDFThis report presents the findings of Brunel University of London’s evaluation of the Service Children's Champion role at North Yorkshire Council conducted between September 2024 and March 2025. The Brunel project team collaborated closely with the current Service Children’s Champion for North Yorkshire Council, Angela Campbell, to evaluate the unique programme of activities designed and implemented to support children from Armed Forces families, as well as the practitioners and others working with them.Brunel University of London. Research and Development Office. Innovation Voucher (Evaluation of the Service Children's Champion role in supporting children from armed forces families
Persistence in Stock Returns: Robotics and AI ETFs Versus Other Assets
No full textData Availability Statement:
Data are available from authors upon request.This paper examines the long-memory properties of the returns of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that provide exposure to companies operating in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics listed on the US market, along with other assets such as the WTI crude oil price (West Texas Intermediate), Bitcoin, the S&P 500 index, 10-year US Treasury bonds, and the VIX volatility index. The data frequency is daily and covers the period from 1 January 2023 to 23 June 2025. The adopted fractional integration framework is more general and flexible than those previously used in related studies and allows for a detailed assessment of the degree of persistence in returns. The results indicate that all return series exhibit a high degree of persistence, regardless of the error structure assumed, and that, in general, a linear model adequately captures their dynamics over time. These findings suggest that newly developed AI- and robotics-themed ETFs do not provide investors with additional hedging or diversification benefits compared to more traditional assets, nor do they create new challenges for policymakers concerned with financial stability.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades ‘Agencia Estatal de Investigación’ (AEI) Spain and ‘Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional’ (FEDER), Grant D2023-149516NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
Recursive Unscented Kalman Filtering for Power Distribution Networks Under Hybrid Attacks: Tackling Dynamic Quantization Effects
Get PDFThis article investigates the state estimation problem for power distribution networks (PDNs) subject to dynamic quantization effects and hybrid cyberattacks, where measurement signals are transmitted from sensors to a remote filter via open digital communication networks. To enhance bandwidth utilization and ensure reliable data transmission, a dynamic quantization mechanism is introduced, which effectively accommodates the dynamic characteristics of power signals. Furthermore, the system is vulnerable to hybrid cyberattacks that may occur simultaneously in a random manner, including denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and false data injection (FDI) attacks, characterized by Bernoulli distributed random variables. The primary objective of this work is to develop a recursive unscented Kalman filter capable of addressing the combined challenges of measurement nonlinearities, dynamic quantization effects, and hybrid cyberattack scenarios. By solving Riccati-like difference equations, an upper bound on the filtering error covariance is derived and subsequently minimized through the design of time-varying filter gains. Extensive simulations on the IEEE 69 distribution test system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed filtering algorithm.10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 61933007, 62273211, 62403130 and U21A2019);
Jiangsu Provincial Scientific Research Center of Applied Mathematics (Grant Number: BK20233002);
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (Grant Number: BK20241286);
Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent of China (Grant Number: 2024ZB601);
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation -China Coal Technology and Engineering Group (CCTEG) Joint Support Program (Grant Number: 2025T055ZGMK);
10.13039/501100000288-Royal Society of U.K.;
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany
Networked State Estimation for Two-Dimensional Systems with Multiplicative Noises and Observation Delays: An Iterative Coupled Estimator Design
Get PDFThis article addresses the state estimation problem for a class of networked 2-D systems subject to autocorrelated multiplicative noises and multistep observation delays. The autocorrelated multiplicative noises are characterized as a linear system corrupted by additive white noises, and the multistep observation delays are described by the instantaneous and delayed output equations. The globally coupled correlation terms are first introduced to deal with the autocorrelated multiplicative noises, and then, a novel observation reconstruction approach is proposed to tackle the difficulty induced by multistep observation delays. By utilizing the space equivalence verification, it is shown that the reconstructed delay-free observation sequence retains the same information as the original delayed observation sequence. The purpose of this article is to design an iterative coupled estimator based on the globally coupled correlation terms and the reconstructed observation sequence. By means of the mathematical induction technique, it is demonstrated that the proposed estimator preserves the property of unbiasedness. Moreover, the estimator gains are obtained by minimizing the estimation error covariance, and some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the existence of an upper bound for the estimation error covariance in the mean square sense. Finally, a numerical example is provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed estimation scheme.10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: U24A20281 and 62473172);
Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (Grant Number: ZR2021MF069);
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany
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