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The impact of ultraviolet suppression on the rates and properties of strongly lensed Type IIn supernovae detected by LSST
No full textUpcoming wide-field time-domain surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) are expected to discover up to two orders of magnitude more strongly lensed supernovae per year than have so far been observed. Of these, Type IIn supernovae have been predicted to be detected more frequently than any other supernova type, despite their small relative detection fraction amongst non-lensed supernovae. However, previous studies that predict a large population of lensed Type IIn supernova detections model their time evolving spectrum as a pure blackbody. In reality, there is a deficit in the UV flux of supernovae relative to the blackbody continuum due to line-blanketing from iron-group elements in the ejecta and scattering effects. In this work we quantify the effect of this UV suppression on the detection rates by LSST of a simulated population of strongly lensed Type IIn supernovae, relative to a pure blackbody model, using a mock LSST observing run. With a blackbody model, we predict to detect ∼70 lensed Type IIn supernova per year with LSST. By modelling a similar UV deficit to that seen in superluminous supernovae, we recover 60 - 80% of the detections obtained using a pure blackbody model, of which ∼10 detections per year are sufficiently bright (mi < 22.5 mag) and detected early enough (> 5 observations before lightcurve peak) to enable high-cadence spectroscopic follow up
Shaping the future of respiratory care: A look into the next decade and strategic recommendations by EUFOREA
No full textChronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) remain one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and disability worldwide, and affect up to one-third of the total Western population in 2025. Recognising the substantial burden of inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and respiratory allergy, the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA) organised the symposium "Shaping the Future of Respiratory Care" in April 2025 in Brussels, Belgium at the occasion of the 10 year jubilee. Featuring keynote speakers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and EUFOREA, this initiative had the following aims: (i) promoting dialogue on translating innovations into daily clinical practice, (ii) encouraging collaboration between the different stakeholders in the respiratory field, and (iii) defining strategic priorities to transform respiratory care and arrest the CRD epidemic over the next decade. The symposium highlighted the importance of moving towards predictive, preventive, and patient-centred medicine, while supporting value-based healthcare systems to improve long-term patient outcomes. This report summarises the main insights and strategic directions discussed at the meeting
Evaluating progesterone receptor agonist megestrol plus letrozole for women with early-stage estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer: the window-of-opportunity, randomized, phase 2b, PIONEER trial
No full textThe use of progestogens in breast cancer has been controversial. Recent preclinical studies have shown that ligand-bound progesterone receptor interacts directly with the estrogen receptor (ER) and reprograms ER transcriptional activity. Progestogen cotreatment enhances the antitumor activity of antiestrogen therapy in mouse xenografts. We report PIONEER, a 198-participant, three-arm, randomized phase 2b window-of-opportunity study for women with early-stage ER breast cancer, which evaluated letrozole with or without megestrol at 40 mg or 160 mg daily. The primary endpoint was the change in tumor proliferation measured by Ki67 immunohistochemistry. Secondary and exploratory endpoints included a comparison of low versus higher dose of megestrol, safety, tolerability and biomarker subgroup analyses. The trial met its primary endpoint, with a greater reduction in proliferation seen when megestrol was added to letrozole. This effect was accompanied by reduced ER genomic binding at canonical binding sites in paired tumor biopsies, indicating reduced ER transcriptional activity. These results support further evaluation of low-dose megestrol, which has two mechanisms for potentially improving breast cancer outcomes in combination with standard antiestrogen therapy: alleviating hot flashes and thereby helping with treatment adherence, as well as a direct antiproliferative effect ( NCT03306472 )
Portable NIR spectrometer and FTIR and soft modelling to authenticate edible cricket, mealworm and buffalo worm flour
No full textPopulation growth has increased the search for new food sources. Edible insects offer an environmentally sustainable option for high-quality proteins and lipids from agricultural waste. However, their high value makes them vulnerable to adulteration, highlighting the need for reliable authentication to ensure product integrity and protect consumers from potential allergens. This study evaluated two portable NIR spectrometers (900–1700 nm and 1450–2450 nm) and a benchtop FTIR device (4000–550 cm−1) for authenticating edible insect flours (buffalo worm, cricket, and mealworm) sold in the UK. Soft modelling methods were used, including Data-Driven Soft Independent Modelling Class Analogy (DD-SIMCA) and soft Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (sPLS-DA), as they suit authentication tasks. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that spectral data of pure insect flours were clustered in the scores plot. DD-SIMCA achieved 100 % sensitivity (SNS) in the test set using FTIR for all insects. NIR Spectrometer in the range of 1450–2450 nm reached 100 % SNS and 100 % specificity (SPS) for buffalo worm and mealworm flour. sPLS-DA showed class sensitivity (CSNS) between 75 % and 100 %, for all three devices tested, with spectrometer in the range of 1450–2450 nm reaching class efficiency rate (CEFF) and total efficiency (TEFF) values ranging from 93 % to 100 %. Also, PLSR achieved RMSEP values as low as 0.44 %, demonstrating its robustness as a tool. In conclusion, this study highlights IR spectroscopy with soft modelling as a novel, non-destructive solution for authenticating insect flours, filling the current gap in rapid and reliable analytical tools for this emerging industry.</p
Controlling shareholders’ portfolio composition and firm leverage
No full textControlling shareholders influence the leverage decisions of firms they control by assessing the investment risks posed to their overall portfolio. Our theoretical model formalizes this intuition by showing that when a firm constitutes a larger share of a controlling shareholder's portfolio (i.e., has higher “stock importance”), the shareholder prefers the firm to adopt lower leverage to reduce overall portfolio risk. This relationship strengthens when firms face lower credit quality. Using a comprehensive sample of Chinese listed firms, we provide strong empirical support for these theoretical predictions. The negative relationship between stock importance and leverage is most pronounced among firms facing financial constraints, higher default risks, or weaker governance structures. These findings remain robust across various endogeneity tests and alternative specifications. Our study reveals a novel determinant of capital structure decisions by showing how controlling shareholders' portfolio composition significantly influences corporate leverage choices
Land use and land cover analysis of cultural World Heritage to inform assessment of climate vulnerability
No full textThe UNESCO World Heritage (WH) List contains cultural and natural properties deemed to be of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) to all humanity. Property boundaries should encompass all elements that contribute to the OUV of the property and be sufficient to protect the OUV from any natural or anthropogenic threats. Climate change-related hazards are impacting WH properties at multiple scales. In many cases, especially for slow onset hazards, existing boundaries are not sufficient to monitor and respond to change. In these cases, it can help to explore the wider landscape context. This paper considers the utility of standardised remote sensing land use and land cover (LULC) data to understand the high-level environmental classifications within and surrounding cultural and mixed WH properties. Of 11 LULC classes within the analysed dataset, 10 were present in at least one of the 49 properties in the Indian Subcontinent recognised for their cultural heritage, with the most common being Tree cover (≥5% of the area of 40 properties and/or their surrounds). Protection of cultural properties from climate-based impacts can benefit from LULC analysis by responding to known climate-related risks (e.g., flood, wildfire, etc.) on specific land cover classes. These risk profiles can be useful decision support tools for climate adaptation. The analysis is demonstrated for four case studies at three locations, using properties with a range of sizes and values. For example, trees in the broader landscape within and around Khangchendzonga National Park may encounter future impacts from temperature change (resulting in shifting biomes and changing phenology), precipitation changes (resulting in changes in rainfall and drought) and wind changes (resulting in storm damage). Each of those climate drivers increase the risk of wildfires. Additionally, LULC analysis provides valuable information on a property’s environmental context when inscribed boundaries are unknown. This study demonstrates that a systematic and reliable analysis of LULC data can provide a way to consider the broader environmental context of WH properties, complementing property values described in their Statements of OUV. However, the study also acknowledges key limitations to using LULC, including classification accuracy concerns and challenges with validation across diverse site types. Finally, this work complements a parallel thematic approach that categorises values from WH documentation to streamline assessment of climate impacts
Economic evaluation of participation in community led organisations for individuals living in disadvantaged areas in the UK
No full textThis paper presents an economic evaluation of community-led and -owned organisations that deliver activities to support health and wellbeing. Because community-led organisations (CLOs) are a vital part of the social and solidarity economy, they increasingly feature in public health policies targeting disadvantaged populations. However, little is known about the value CLOs generate as few economic evaluations of them exist and those available focus on isolated activities (such as exercise classes) and/or specific populations (e.g., men-only collectives). The novelty of our work lies in the inclusion of multiple CLOs, comprehensive coverage of their activities, breadth of participants studied, and control group methodology applied in creating new knowledge of the health and wellbeing outcomes of CLOs and resources consumed to achieve them. We conducted cost-effectiveness and cost-consequence analyses of data collected via a 12-month longitudinal study. We compared 331 CLO participants in 14 UK-based CLOs to a 'do nothing' synthetic control group (n = 100). Health and wellbeing were measured using the ICECAP-A capability measure for adults, EuroQol EQ-5D-5L, Short-form Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Revised Social Connectedness Scale. Resource use data included health, social care, and other community sector resources. Data collection occurred at four-points over the study period supported by publicly available accounts and data provided by each CLO. We found an incremental cost per year in full capability of £35,813 and an incremental cost per quality adjusted life year of £29,827. Statistically significant improvement in both social connectedness, and mental wellbeing were observed over the 12 month follow up. This work supports CLOs as an intervention to improve health and wellbeing in disadvantaged communities and identifies challenges for traditional evaluation methodology with regards to costing and comparator groups
Development, validation, and application of an innovative UHPLC-Orbitrap-HRMS method for multi-class analysis of endocrine disruptors in bottled water: Influence of bottle material, water source, and retail price
No full textBackgroundEndocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are linked to chronic conditions such as hormonal cancers, metabolic disorders, and reproductive dysfunction. They can enter drinking water through inadequate wastewater treatment and poor waste disposal, contaminating surface and groundwater. Bottled water adds risk due to leaching of packaging chemicals, especially from plastics. Since even low-level exposure may harm health, systematic monitoring is crucial. This requires advanced analytical methods able to detect and quantify multiple EDC classes at trace concentrations in bottled drinking water.ResultsThis study developed and validated a comprehensive multi-residue method to quantify 25 EDCs across eight chemical classes - hormones, microbial agents, mycotoxins, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, phenols, phthalates, and sunscreen agents - and to screen 983 additional suspected EDCs in drinking water. The method, based on solid-phase extraction coupled with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry, was optimized using factorial design to ensure accuracy and reliability. Validation with still water demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 ≥ 0.99), low detection limits (0.5–5.0 ng L−1), and compliance with international criteria for recovery, precision, and measurement uncertainty. Cross-validation on sparkling water further confirmed robustness, with only 17β-estradiol showing slightly elevated recovery at the lowest concentration. Stability tests showed analytes remained intact for 72 h under dark conditions. Application to 37 Belgian bottled waters revealed 17 EDCs, with bisphenol B and acetaminophen most abundant. More compounds occurred in plastic than glass bottles, while mineral water showed higher α-zearalanol than spring water. Notably, premium plastic bottled water contained increased phthalate levels.SignificanceThis study presents a robust method for multi-class EDC analysis in bottled drinking water, offering high sensitivity and broad coverage, including EU watch list substances. Using an extensive suspect screening database from international inventories, it is the first Belgian study to map diverse EDCs in popular bottled water brands. The findings provide crucial data for public health risk assessment and inform regulatory and commercial decisions, emphasizing packaging, source type, and retail price as key factors
Predictions of the LSST Solar System Yield: Neptune Trojans
No full textThe NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), beginning full operations in late 2025, will dramatically transform solar system science by vastly expanding discoveries and providing detailed characterization opportunities across all small-body populations. This includes the co-orbiting 1:1 resonant Neptune Trojans (NTs), which are thought to be dynamically hot captures from the protoplanetary disk. Using the survey simulator Sorcha, combined with the latest LSST cadence simulations, we present the very first predictions for the NT yield within the LSST. We forecast a model-dependent median number of ∼130–300 discovered NTs, and infer a notable 2:1 detection bias toward the recently emerged L5 cloud near the Galactic plane versus the L4 cloud, reflecting the lower-cadence coverage in the Northern Ecliptic Spur region that suppresses L4 detections. The additionally simulated Science Validation survey will offer the very first early insights into this understudied cloud. Around 60% of detected main survey NTs will meet stringent color light-curve quality criteria, increasing the sample size more than fourfold compared to existing datasets. This enhanced sample will enable robust statistical analyses of NT color and size distributions, crucial for understanding their origins and relationship to the broader trans-Neptunian population. These comprehensive color measurements represent a major step forward in characterizing the NT population and will facilitate future targeted spectroscopic observations
