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Exploring the generational ordering of kinship through decisions about DNA testing and gamete donor conception: what’s the right age to know your donor relatives?
Get PDFThe development of direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT), in conjunction with social media, has had profound consequences for the management of information about donor conception. One outcome is that it is now possible to circumvent formal age-restrictions on accessing information about people related through donor conception. Consequently, many donor conceived people and their parents face questions regarding what is the ‘right age’ to seek out such connections with ‘donor relatives’. In this article, we share findings from 20 interviews with UK-based parents through donor conception, exploring how they grapple with such questions and possibilities. This involves parents reflecting on the meaning of childhood and its significance in processes of kinship. We identify three ontologies of childhood in participants’ reasoning: children as kinship catalysts, children as vulnerable to kinship risk and children as emerging kinship agents. We discuss what our findings tell us about the generational ordering of kinship. We show that processes through which genetic relatedness is made to matter (or not) are understood to operate differently according to the generational position of those involved due to culturally-specific understandings of childhood. These ontologies of childhood, and their relationship to kinship, are (re)produced in and through parent–child relationships
Nonspherical Particle Stabilized Emulsions Formed through Destabilization and Arrested Coalescence
Get PDFTo form nonspherical emulsion droplets, the interfacial tension driving droplet sphericity must be overcome. This can be achieved through interfacial particle jamming; however, careful control of particle coverage is required. In this work, we present a scalable novel batch process to form nonspherical particle-stabilized emulsions. This is achieved by concurrently forming interfacially active particles and drastically accelerating emulsion destabilization through addition of electrolyte. To achieve this, surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions in the presence of dopamine were first produced. These emulsions were then treated with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride buffer to both simultaneously initiate polymerization of dopamine in the emulsion continuous phase and reduce the Debye length of the system, thus accelerating droplet coalescence while forming surface-active particles. The concentration of buffer and imposed shear was then systematically varied, and the behavior at the interface was studied using pendent drop tensiometry and interfacial shear rheology. It was found that polydopamine nanoparticles formed in the emulsion continuous phase adsorbed to the reducing interface during coalescence, resulting in anisotropic droplets formed via arrested coalescence. Greater shear rates resulted in accelerated coalescence and formation of secondary droplets, whereas lower shear rates resulted in thicker interfacial films. The efficacy of this method was further demonstrated with a second system consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant and polypyrrole particles, which also resulted in nonspherical droplets for optimized conditions
Tobacco Cessation Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries:A commentary on Challenges, Innovations and Opportunities
Get PDFCost-utility of behavioural activation for mitigating psychological impacts of COVID-19 on socially isolated older adults with depression and multiple long-term conditions compared with usual care:results from a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Depression alongside multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) in older adults poses a critical public health challenge, worsening physical and mental health and increasing healthcare costs. COVID-19 restrictions further exacerbated these impacts. Behavioural activation (BA) shows promise as a remote intervention for depression during isolation, but its cost-effectiveness for depressed, socially isolated older adults remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the cost-utility of BA versus usual care for older adults with depression and MLTCs during COVID-19 restrictions. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial recruited and randomised individuals aged 65 and over with depressive symptoms and MLTC (n=435) to either the BA intervention or usual care. Costs were measured from the perspective of the National Health Service and personal social services. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were measured using the EQ-5D-3L at baseline, and 1, 3 and 12 months postrandomisation. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated, with uncertainty addressed through non-parametric bootstrapping. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the primary analysis. FINDINGS: Primary analysis indicated that BA generated a small cost-saving (£62.34 per older adult; 95% CI: -£120.44 to £239.70) while QALY improvements remained unchanged (0.007; 95% CI -0.036 to 0.022) compared with usual care. The probability of BA being the preferred option is 0.71. Sensitivity analyses supported the primary analysis findings, confirming their robustness. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Compared with usual care, BA demonstrated a slight cost reduction while maintaining QALY improvement. The findings provide promise for BA interventions for older people with depression and MLTCs facing isolation
The Role of Uncertainty, Regulatory and Economic Environment and Quantitative Tightening in Banks’ Performance
Get PDFThis study analyses the implications of uncertainty, the regulatory and economic environment, and the monetary policy regime for bank performance. Employing multiple indicators of bank performance and underlying explanatory factors, we used a novel set of empirical approaches including Fixed Effects, Random Effects, Panel Fully Modified Least Squares (FMOLS), Panel Dynamic Least Squares (DOLS), and the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM). Considering the data of both developed (G7) and emerging (E7) economies from 2001 to 2020, our results reveal that uncertainty, leverage, capital adequacy, monetary policy, economic growth, inflation and the exchange rate have significant implications for various aspects of bank performance. We also find significant differences between the developed and developing economies' banking sector performance. In the context of uncertainty, the findings have vital implications for the banking sector in emerging and advanced economies, monetary and prudential policymakers, and stakeholders of financial stability
The carnivorous plant Genlisea harnesses active particle dynamics to prey on microfauna
Get PDFCarnivory in plants is an unusual trait that has arisen multiple times, independently, throughout evolutionary history. Plants in the genus Genlisea are carnivorous and feed on microorganisms that live in soil using modified subterranean leaf structures (rhizophylls). A surprisingly broad array of microfauna has been observed in the plants' digestive chambers, including ciliates, amoebae, and soil mites. Here, we show, through experiments and simulations, that Genlisea exploit active matter physics to "rectify" bacterial swimming and establish a local flux of bacteria through the structured environment of the rhizophyll toward the plant's digestion vesicle. In contrast, macromolecular digestion products are free to diffuse away from the digestion vesicle and establish a concentration gradient of carbon sources to draw larger microorganisms further inside the plant. Our experiments and simulations show that this mechanism is likely to be a localized one and that no large-scale efflux of digested matter is present
KDIGO 2025 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation, management, and treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): executive summary
Get PDFThe Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation, Management, and Treatment of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) represents the first KDIGO guideline on this subject. Its scope includes nomenclature, diagnosis, prognosis, and prevalence; kidney manifestations; chronic kidney disease (CKD) management and progression, kidney failure, and kidney replacement therapy; therapies to delay progression of kidney disease; polycystic liver disease; intracranial aneurysms and other extrarenal manifestations; lifestyle and psychosocial aspects; pregnancy and reproductive issues; pediatric issues; and approaches to the management of people with ADPKD. The guideline has been developed with patient partners, clinicians, and researchers around the world, with the goal to generate a useful resource for healthcare providers and patients by providing actionable recommendations. The development of this guideline followed an explicit process of evidence review and appraisal, based on a rigorous, formal systematic literature review. The strength of recommendations follows the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The guideline also provides practice points serving to direct clinical care or activities relating to areas for which a systematic review was not conducted. Limitations of the evidence are discussed. Research recommendations to address gaps in knowledge, and implications for policy and payment, are provided. The guideline targets a broad audience of healthcare providers, people living with ADPKD, and stakeholders involved in the various aspects of ADPKD care
Performance Enhancing Design for Running Shoes: When Technology Wins
No full textThis article discusses the politics of cheating via sportswear and amateur running footwear, where boundaries and synergies exist between the body and apparel that enhance sport performance. In 2017, Nike introduced a revolution in running shoe design, launching its Vaporfly 4% running shoes. The claims used in advertising for the shoe stated a possible increase in performance of up to 4 per cent. The design of the shoe was aesthetically distinguished by its thick foam sole, which contains carbon plating. There has been a significant drop in times for elite running races since professional athletes adopted such advanced footwear and as a result, tighter regulations have been developed by World Athletics (2020), who have banned certain editions. Other footwear designers have followed Nike and are looking to new technology to advance performance, such as the Adidas Futurecraft running shoe, a 3D printed shoe designed to work with the athlete’s foot shape using foot-scanning technology, perhaps paving the way for a move to ‘bespoke’ footwear design based on personal data. The ethics of performance-enhancing design for running shoes are contextualized through a wider consideration of specialist garments for specific sport and leisure activities worn to enhance ease of movement and increased activity. There is a gap in research related to performance-enhancing design for running shoes for amateur runners; therefore, this study makes an important and original contribution to literature
Why is the chubby guy running?’: Trans pregnancy, fatness and cultural intelligibility
Get PDFSince the late 2000s trans pregnancy has received increasing public and academic attention, and stories of the ‘pregnant man’ have become a media staple. Existing research has critiqued such spectacularization and the supposed tension between maleness, masculinity, and pregnancy that underpins it. Extending that work, this article draws on interview data from an international study of trans reproductive practices and analyzes participants' experiences of being, and expecting themselves to be, perceived in public space not as spectacularly ‘pregnant men’, but as fat men. As a starting point we take the experience of one participant whose heavily pregnant participation in a five-kilometer race prompted the question: ‘Why is the chubby guy running?’ Using Judith Butler's concept of the cultural intelligibility of gender, we ask why the question asked was not: ‘Why is the pregnant guy running?’ We further consider the degree to which pregnant trans people manage their unintelligibility within the matrix of pregnancy, fatness, and trans/gender and how this reveals the limits of gender intelligibility itself
Evaluating the performance of humanure as a potting mix for lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings
Get PDFComposting human feces (“humanure”) is a simple, affordable method for recycling waste, producing a material similar to commercial potting mixes. This novel approach contrasts with more common practices like biosolids application and wastewater irrigation, offering new opportunities for fecal reuse in horticulture and home gardening. This study evaluated the suitability of humanure as a potting mix for lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings in an emergence experiment. Four humanure blends from small-scale composting systems were compared to two garden soils and a commercial potting mix as a control. Emergence speed and total emergence were combined into an emergence index (EI), and seedling size was measured after 25 days. Three of the four humanure blends performed comparably to the control, with EIs over 77.4 and leaf growth above 2.36 cm. The fourth blend, with a lower pH, had good emergence (EI = 53.4) but stunted growth (<0.84 cm). These results highlight the variability in homemade compost quality and the importance of proper management. Garden soils performed poorly in terms of emergence (EI = 12.2 and 7.6), with insufficient seedlings for statistical analysis on growth. This study demonstrates that small-scale composting of human feces can produce high-quality compost suitable for use as a potting mix. It also underscores the need for improved guidelines and regulations for the production and use of humanure beyond traditional sewage applications
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