159370 research outputs found
Sort by
Historical Sociolinguistics
No full textThe aim of historical sociolinguistics is to explore the links between language and society in a historical context. It is a broad field, and utilizes many different methods and approaches to account for the data available in different linguistic varieties and historical periods. Common research themes are:
1. How did language vary in the past? Who used different variants, and when?
2. What social meaning did these variants have for members of the speech community?
3. What can historical sociolinguistic evidence tell us about mechanisms of language change?
This article outlines some of the key theoretical and methodological concerns of historical sociolinguistics, and demonstrates how different types of historical sociolinguistic enquiry have been carried out
Influence of particle morphology and solvent choice on the sublimation of recrystallised ibuprofen at ambient pressure and sub-melting temperatures
Full text linkThe tendency of ibuprofen to sublimate can undermine content uniformity and cause caking during storage, resulting in significant economic losses. While previous studies have predominantly investigated typical evaporation under vacuum, the solvent-mediated relationship between crystal structure, sublimation kinetics and thermodynamics under practical conditions remains unclear. This study aimed to determine how crystallisation solvent governs ibuprofen sublimation under ambient pressure and sub-melting temperatures, independent of particle size, by linking crystal structure and morphology to sublimation behaviour. Ibuprofen was recrystallised from hexane, acetonitrile, ethanol and methanol, with composition and structure verified using FTIR and PXRD. SEM and particle size analysis quantified morphology and surface area, while sublimation kinetics were measured by TGA and DVS under storage-relevant conditions and subsequently enthalpy of sublimation and change in vapour pressure by temperature were estimated. It was found that polar-solvent crystals have higher surface energy and faster sublimation, while non-polar-solvent crystals were more stable and slower sublimation. The obtained enthalpy of sublimation was lower for polar-solvent samples and estimated change in vapour pressure by temperature aligned with literature trends. Overall, crystallisation solvent is a critical determinant of ibuprofen sublimation under storage-relevant conditions, influencing plane orientation, crystallinity and morphology. Polar solvents promote faster dissolution and potentially enhanced therapeutic performance but increase sublimation risk, whereas non-polar solvents improve storage stability at the expense of dissolution rate. These findings provide practical guidance for optimising solvent selection to balance pharmaceutical performance, stability and manufacturing efficiency
Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Cinematic Mediation
No full textProposes a new approach to studying martial arts cinema as part of the media ecology by locating various manifestations of tranquility in action
Invertebrate biodiversity is greater in urban sites with nature-based solutions than control sites: A cross-continental study
Full text linkNature-based solutions have gained considerable policy and research attention for enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services, which face intense pressure from urban development. Assessments of the biodiversity outcomes of nature-based solutions are, however, insufficient. A key unaddressed question is whether such biodiversity effects vary across the urban landscape. We assess whether insect biodiversity (richness, abundance and biomass) effects vary across a gradient of percentage impervious surface in three large cities (Barcelona, São Paulo, Buenos Aires). We focus on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) which are key in alleviating flood risk and diffuse pollution associated with urban development. We examine habitats that mimic SUDS to investigate well-established habitats, to avoid the risk of underestimating biodiversity benefits arising from lags in the colonisation of recently established nature-based solutions, i.e. taking an observation approach. We do so using random stratification to select survey locations along the urbanisation intensity gradient in each city. Across all cities, NBS sites had greater invertebrate richness, biomass and abundance than control sites. Notably, biodiversity gain is greatest in more urbanised locations where biodiversity is lowest at the control sites. Our work has substantial implications for the cost-effective design and deployment of NBS interventions in urban locations in the Global North and South
Deep learning-based H&E-derived risk scores in colorectal cancer: associations with tumour morphology, biology, and predicted drug response
Get PDFOver recent years, several deep learning (DL) models have been presented to predict colorectal cancer (CRC) patient survival directly from haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained routine whole-slide images (WSIs). Unlike traditional studies that rely on manually defined histopathological features, weakly supervised DL allows training directly on clinical endpoints without prior specification of the model's focus. This offers a unique opportunity to study the tissue morphology underlying these predictions, improving our understanding of disease biology. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the clinicopathological features, tumour morphology and biology, as well as gene expression-based predicted drug response of over 4,000 CRC patients derived from four different international cohorts with available H&E-inferred DL-based risk scores (low- versus high-risk as well as absolute risk scores). The results from our study suggest that conventional clinicopathological risk factors, such as grade of differentiation, presence of lymph node metastasis, tumour budding, and percentage of tumour necrosis, are positively associated with DL-based risk scores. Moreover, CRCs with direct tumour–adipocyte interactions are enriched in the DL-based high-risk group. Through detailed morphologic review, we provide comprehensive evidence that direct tumour–adipocyte interaction, a high degree of tumour budding, and poorly differentiated morphology are linked to high DL-based risk scores. Transcriptomic and genetic subgroups show only limited association with H&E-derived DL-based risk scores. Moreover, we present data suggesting that DL-based low- versus high-risk CRCs may be characterised by differential drug sensitivity. Our study highlights that DL-based risk scores derived from H&E WSIs not only align with established clinicopathological features but also highlight morphological features, such as tumour–adipocyte interaction, that are not routinely captured by established clinicopathological scoring systems. Moreover, DL-based risk groups may be associated with a differential treatment response, underlining their potential to guide patient stratification in routine clinical practice
Emissions Measurement to Improve Sanitation in Indonesia (EMISI): Technical note - Methods for sanitation emissions measurement and developing city or national sanitation emissions estimates
No full textCommunity perceptions on conservation management and sustainability around the protected area reserves in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria
Full text linkCommunity participation in conserving forests and biodiversity is crucial. This study evaluates community involvement in forest conservation around three gazetted forest reserves in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. The study examined community perceptions of forest ownership and management, explored community involvement in forest conservation, and assessed perceptions of future sustainability in forest management. Using a mixed methods approach, including household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions, information was obtained from forest-dependent communities. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the three forest reserves from the state's geopolitical zones, considering accessibility and security. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were performed using SPSS and NVivo. Findings show mixed understanding regarding government ownership of forest reserves. Most participants reported involvement in conservation strategies like tree planting and protecting desirable trees, primarily for economic reasons, despite shrinking forest cover. However, they expressed concern about biodiversity loss, including the disappearance of large mammals and other wildlife from the reserves, alongside other environmental impacts. The study found that utilizing community and government laws, physically demarcating zones within protected areas with buffer zones, and establishing alternative livelihoods could be effective strategies for sustainability within these reserves. Importantly, cultural traditions-including sacred sites, shrine-based protection practices, and customary rules that restrict harmful forest use-play a significant role in shaping conservation behaviour. These cultural systems act as informal governance mechanisms that complement state regulations, demonstrating that sustaining cultural practices is vital for long-term forest conservation. Integrating local knowledge within government institutions, such as the Forestry Commission, in collaboration with local administrative authorities, is crucial for promoting tree planting, implementing policies, and increasing surveillance and security in protected forest areas. These actions can help to ensure effective management and the conservation of these regions for the benefit of communities, society at large, and future generations
Image-based metrics for characterizing drilling induced defects in fibre-reinforced composite
Full text linkModern aircraft assembly involves drilling holes in multi-material stacks, followed by fastening to create a structural joint. Stringent quality requirements to ensure structural integrity necessitate accurate assessment of the hole quality. Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) is widely used in aircraft structures, and delamination and uncut fibres are prominent defects associated with CFRP drilling. Furthermore, metal-CFRP composite structures, owing to their higher cost and hence the need reduced waste, present even more stringent requirements on hole quality. Defects such as delamination and uncut fibres in this composite also differ in how they manifest. An automated evaluation framework and robust hole quality metrics are therefore required to address this challenge. In this paper, an automated image processing based evaluation framework for rapid and objective assessment of delamination and uncut fibre defects is developed. This robust framework introduces combined metrics, leveraging a weighted p-norm approach to aggregate five factors for delamination and five for uncut fibres with p = 1, 2 and ∞. A method to choose weights for the different p-norms is also identified to create robust measures. Grayscale images captured via optical microscopy serve as inputs, and the framework outputs both the combined metrics and ten individual metrics for detailed analysis. The multi-objective space with the associated Pareto front and population based ranking derived from the weighted p-norm based metrics are introduced as a means to identify relative hole quality and to associate these with the machining parameters. A dataset comprising 24 holes from two metal-CFRP composite workpieces produced in a robotic drilling operation is used for demonstration of the framework. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework and its utility for real-world applications
Southern South American Dust Inputs to the South Atlantic and Southern Oceans: Trace Element Solubility and Deposition Fluxes
Full text linkHigh-Precision Mass Measurements of Proton-Rich Rh, Pd, Cd isotopes in the vicinity of 100Sn and Impact on X-Ray Burst and Supernova Nucleosynthesis
Full text linkUsing the ZeroDegree multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrograph of the CRISMASS project at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory, we performed high-precision mass measurements of proton-rich nuclei near the doubly magic nucleus 100Sn, achieving uncertainties on the order of 10 keV. The masses of 91Rh, 92Pd, and 96Cd were determined for the first time with high precision, and the accuracy of several additional masses was substantially improved. Incorporating the new data into X-ray burst simulations significantly reduces the abundance uncertainties in the = 90-100 region, shifting the reaction flow toward = 90 production and suppressing the synthesis of heavier nuclei. Further investigation of the -process indicates that 99Rh plays a significant role in the reaction flow within the mass region studied. These high-precision mass measurements refine the mass surface near 100Sn and provide critical constraints on models of proton-rich nucleosynthesis
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇