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Implementing circular practices through supply-chain configurations of service offerings for consumer products
No full textCosmographic footprints of dynamical dark energy
Get PDFWe introduce a novel cosmographic framework to trace the late-time kinematics of the Universe without assuming any underlying dynamics. The method relies on generalized Padé (2, 1) expansions around arbitrary pivot redshifts, which, compared to state-of-the-art calculations, reduce truncation errors by up to two orders of magnitude at high redshift and yield more precise constraints by defining cosmographic parameters exactly where the data lie. This avoids extrapolations, mitigates degeneracies, and enables a clean disentangling of their effects. Using the latest low-redshift datasets, we center the generalized expansion in multiple bins across z ∈ [0, 1] and obtain precise constraints on the redshift evolution of cosmographic parameters. We find that all key parameters deviate from their ΛCDM predictions in a redshift-dependent way that can be naturally explained within dynamical dark energy scenarios. The deceleration parameter q(z) follows a redshift evolution consistent with the Chevallier–Polarski–Linder (CPL) parameterization, while the generalized Om(z) diagnostic shows deviations of up to ∼4σ from the constant ΛCDM expectation, closely matching the CPL predictions. Taken together, these results point to footprints of dynamical dark energy in the kinematics of the Universe at z ≲ 1
Novel sustainable carbon dot as dual replacements for emulsion stabilizers and Photoinitiators in macroporous polymerized high internal phase emulsion fabrication
Get PDFBoth emulsion stabilizers and photoinitiators are essential components in preparing photocurable water-in-oil (w/o) Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions (PolyHIPEs). Conventional stabilizers like Hypermer B246 and photoinitiators like 2,4,6-Trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) pose environmental and biological hazards, requiring careful removal before use in bioengineering applications. Furthermore, PolyHIPEs prepared with traditional surfactants often feature narrow pores and pore throats, limiting effective fluid and cell infiltration. As a class of easy-synthesizing and biocompatible nanoparticles, carbon dots (CDs) exhibit potential for use as emulsion stabilizers and photoinitiators. Herein, novel amphiphilic carbon dots (GW CDs) were synthesised from Gromwell root waste, a byproduct of shikonin extraction, as sustainable alternative. GW CDs demonstrated excellent emulsion-stabilizing ability, effective photoinitiating performance and superior biocompatibility. GW CDs were employed to stabilize the emulsions and successfully crosslink them under UV light to fabricate 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA)- isobornyl acrylate (IBOA)- trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) PolyHIPEs. The pore size and pore throat formation of the resulting PolyHIPEs could be effectively tuned by adjusting the GW CDs content. Compared to PolyHIPEs prepared using Hypermer B246 and TPO, the GW CD-stabilized counterparts exhibited significantly larger pore sizes and pore throats, improving fluid and cell permeability for tissue engineering applications. Additionally, GW CDs possess upconversion luminescence, pH sensitivity, and cell-imaging capabilities, further highlighting their potential in biomedical engineering and environmental science applications
Model updating and model selection for structural structures via Approximate Bayesian Computation
Get PDFApproximate Bayesian methods, or “likelihood-free” methods, have become a key component of modern statistical methodology, providing a framework for inference, prediction, and decision-making. Their versatility lies in their ability to handle parameter estimation, model selection, and uncertainty quantification within a unified probabilistic framework. In this work, Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) using an ellipsoidal Nested Sampling (NS) approach is employed to deal with model updating and model comparison issues applied to structural health monitoring. ABC methods rely essentially on the ability to simulate data from a simulator/forward model, bypassing the need to write down an explicit likelihood function, which is always far from trivial. These methods are particularly captivating because of the modelling freedom they provide; in addition, they are flexible in the sense that different discrepancy functions measuring the similarity between the observed modal data and the corresponding model output can be used. However, Bayesian inference methods usually require numerous forward model simulations to generate converged samples. To enhance the computational efficiency of the sampler, the minimum-volume enclosing ellipsoid (MVEE) is incorporated to better enclose the accepted particles and to guide the sampler more efficiently towards the highest probability region. The performance and the robustness of the novel sampler in structural model updating and model selection is demonstrated here via different numerical studies using modal data
Trial design and enrolment characteristics of LATA (long-acting treatment in adolescents): A randomised, open-label, non-inferiority, 96-week trial evaluating the virological efficacy, safety, acceptability and quality-of-life of the dual long-acting injectable regimen cabotegravir/ rilpivirine compared to daily oral therapy in virologically suppressed adolescents with HIV-1 infection, aged 12 to
No full textBackground Alternatives to daily oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) are important for adolescents with HIV (AHIV) to improve adherence and outcomes. Long-Acting-injectable (LAI) cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) has demonstrated excellent efficacy and safety and strong patient preference in adults. Methods LATA is an ongoing randomised, open-label, 96-week, non-inferiority trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and acceptability of LAI CAB/RPV vs. daily oral therapy with tenofovir (disoproxil fumarate or alafenamide)/lamivudine/dolutegravir (TLD). Participants are virologically suppressed AHIV aged 12
Auditory-conceptual associations in Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals:Evidence from 6- to 9-year-old children
Get PDFThis study investigated auditory-conceptual associations in children using complex audiovisual stimuli, namely musical excerpts from the Western classical repertoire and drawings. In Experiment 1, we examined whether 6- to 9-year old children were able to consistently match musical excerpts from Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf with corresponding black-and-white images of the characters. The results confirmed robust associations, particularly for the bird, wolf and duck, while other pairings were more variable. In Experiment 2, we extended this approach by using the musical suite Saint Saëns's Carnival of the Animals, testing whether timbre influences children's audiovisual associations. Children were presented with colour images of animals alongside orchestral or piano versions of the musical excerpts that the composer associated with the animal. The results revealed that, in line with a similar study conducted recently in adults (Di Stefano et al., 2025), participants made significantly above-chance associations for the characters of the lion and the swan. However, unlike in adults, timbre had no significant effect on children's audiovisual pairings. These findings highlight the robustness of auditory-semantic associations presented through audiovisual stimuli in childhood, supporting the idea that certain audiovisual correspondences are developmentally stable, while showing that subtle nuances (i.e., differences in timbre) might emerge later on during development
Community Health Participatory interventions in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases including mental health in crisis-affected Low-and Middle-Income Countries–a scoping review
Get PDFThe rising burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) requires a comprehensive strategy by integrating community-based interventions–especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Over the past decade, researchers have emphasized communities as key agents of change in health systems. While Community Health Participatory (CHP) interventions show promise in NCD management, their application in crisis-affected contexts remains underexplored. This scoping review examines the adoption of CHP interventions, strategies employed, their barriers and facilitators encountered in crisis-affected LMICs to prevent and control NCDs. Utilising the Arksey and O’Malley framework, comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Primary studies and grey literature in English were included focusing on CHP interventions among adults in such settings. Studies on unrelated health issues, review articles, protocols, and conference abstracts were excluded. Data extraction was conducted using Covidence, with discrepancies resolved through consensus. The narrative analysis of the extracted data was conducted. The review identified varied CHP interventions, with the majority focusing on mental health. The included studies highlighted the role of community engagement and stakeholders’ involvement. Strategies included raising awareness, providing social support and focusing on lifestyle modifications. Barriers to interventions included limited resources, socio-cultural constraints, and logistical challenges, while facilitators involved community leadership and ownership, empathy, cultural adaptations of interventions, and multi-sectoral collaboration. CHP interventions represent a promising strategy for tackling NCDs in crisis-affected LMICs, however, limited evidence on their long-term impact needs further research. This review was registered on the Open Science Framework and funding was provided by NIHR-UK (NIHR203248)
A Data-Limit Account of Release From Masking During Speech-on-Speech Listening
No full textSpeech-on-speech listening involves selectively attending to a target talker while ignoring a simultaneous competing talker. Spatially separating the talkers improves performance, a phenomenon known as spatial release from masking (spatial RM). The same is true of spectral separation, that is, filtering the talkers into non-overlapping frequency bands (spectral RM). The relative benefit of spatial versus spectral RM is currently unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear how listeners’ ability to exploit spatial versus spectral cues is related to individual differences in cognition. The resource-limit account suggests that cognitive resources are required to support the processing of degraded speech, implying the strongest cognition/performance relationship when RM is limited or absent. However, an alternative claim, referred to as the data-limit account, suggests that cognitive resources cease to be useful when the target is severely degraded. In this study, participants (N = 240) completed a selective listening task in which they transcribed the speech of one of two simultaneously presented talkers. The speech was filtered into interleaved or overlapping frequency bands (spectral RM vs. no spectral RM) and presented dichotically or collocated (a proxy for spatial RM vs. no spatial RM). A battery of cognitive tasks was administered to assess working memory/attention. Spectral RM provided at least as much benefit as spatial RM, with the best performance when both RM types were present. Cognitive scores were significantly positively correlated with RM benefits. However, the weakest correlation between cognitive scores and performance was observed in the no-RM condition. The results therefore support an account of speech-on-speech listening that lies on a continuum from data-limited to resource-limited processing as a function of the quality of the target speech signal
Integrating post-growth economics into transformative adaptation: Property relations, capital, and democratic planning
Get PDFTransformative adaptation (TA) is increasingly promoted as a way to drive systemic change beyond incremental adjustments. Yet many TA initiatives fall short of their transformative aims. This paper argues that this is not only due to implementation challenges, but also because of conceptual blind spots. We review TA litertaure and problematise three of its core assumptions regarding onto-epistemic and political shifts, root causes of vulnerability, and multi-level stakeholder engagement. Drawing on post-growth economics, we contend that TA tends to overlook some key dimensions of transformation. First, its focus on onto-epistemic and political shifts rarely challenges privatised property relations and sometimes reinforces scarcity narratives that justify exclusive control and management. Second, vulnerability is linked to a preoccupation with growth, efficiency, and commercialisation, yet these are not systematically tied to the structural dynamics of capital accumulation. Third, stakeholder engagement tends to foreground liberal notions of participation and governance, with little attention to democratic control over the economy. To address these gaps, we propose a set of reflective refinements based on post-growth principles: reorient development toward collective, decommodified ownership; link vulnerability to the structural tendencies of capital accumulation; and broaden participation and governance toward economic democratisation and planning. These dimensions are interdependent, with property relations and capital accumulation forming both structural arenas of transformation within, and obstacles to, democratic planning of the economy. We conclude by outlining key directions for future TA research
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