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Delineating in-vivo T1-weighted intensity profiles within the human insula cortex using 7-tesla MRI
Get PDFThe integral role of the insula cortex in sensory and cognitive function has been well documented in humans, and fine anatomical details characterizing the insula have been extensively investigated ex vivo in both human and non-human primates. However, in vivo studies of insula anatomy in humans (in general) and within-insula parcellation (in particular) have been limited. The current study leverages 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging to delineate cortical depth intensity profiles within the human cortex. Our analysis revealed two separate clusters of relatively high and low signal intensity across the insula cortex located in three distinct compartments within the posterior, anterior-inferior, and middle insula. The posterior and anterior-inferior compartments are characterized by elevated T1-weighted signal intensities, contrasting with lower intensity observed in the middle insular compartment, compatible with ex vivo studies. Importantly, the detection of the high T1-weighted anterior cluster is determined by the choice of brain atlas employed to define the insular region of interest. We obtain reliable in vivo within-insula parcellation at the individual and group levels, across two separate cohorts acquired in two separate sites (n1 = 21, Glasgow, UK; n2 = 101, Amsterdam, NL). Results are further confirmed by deriving cortical depth dependent profiles from T1Map and R1Map images. These results reflect new insights into the insula anatomical structure, in vivo, while highlighting the use of 7 Tesla in neuroimaging with potential implications for individualized medicine approaches
Prescribed medication burden by tobacco smoking and e-cigarette use status
Get PDFPurpose: Tobacco smoking is a major driver of chronic disease, and e‐cigarette use is increasingly common, yet their associations with prescribed medication burden remain unclear. Methods: We analysed data from 1657 adults aged ≥ 16 years who completed a nurse visit in the Health Survey for England 2021. Smoking and e‐cigarette status were categorized into four mutually exclusive groups: never users, current smokers, current exclusive e‐cigarette users, and ex‐smokers. Prescribed medication use in the past 7 days was verified by nurses and grouped into seven BNF‐based therapeutic categories: cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, pain and anti‐inflammatory, gastrointestinal, mental health, and anti‐infectives. Overall, medication burden was categorized as none, one, two, or three or more prescribed medicines. Generalized ordered logistic regression estimated associations with overall burden, and Firth penalized logistic regression examined therapeutic categories, adjusting for age, sex, education, and area‐level deprivation. Sensitivity analyses restricted the sample to adults aged ≥ 45 years. Results: Ex‐smokers reported the highest medication burden, with 20.3% prescribed three or more medicines compared with 8.6% of never users, 10.9% of current smokers, and 12.2% of current e‐cigarette users (p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses using never users as the reference group, ex‐smokers had significantly greater odds of higher overall burden (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.21–1.87, p < 0.001). Current smokers (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.60–1.24, p = 0.42) and e‐cigarette users (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 0.93–2.83, p = 0.09) did not differ significantly from never users. By therapeutic category, current e‐cigarette users, compared with never users, had higher odds of pain and anti‐inflammatory medication use (OR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.70–7.67, p = 0.001). Ex‐smokers, relative to never users, also had elevated odds of respiratory (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.17–2.55, p = 0.006), gastrointestinal (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.07, p = 0.002), and anti‐infective prescriptions (OR = 3.32, 95% CI: 1.63–6.79, p = 0.001). Sensitivity analyses restricting to those aged ≥ 45 years produced consistent results. Conclusions: Ex‐smokers had the highest medication burden compared with never users, which may partly reflect reverse causation, whereby illness and associated treatment prompt smoking cessation, though residual effects of prior smoking cannot be excluded. Current smokers showed no significant excess burden, possibly due to a “healthy smoker” effect, and e‐cigarette use was not associated with overall burden compared with never users, although it was linked to greater use of pain and anti‐inflammatory medicines
Amplifying division: electoral misinformation and political intolerance in Brazil
Get PDFThis study examines the relationship between misinformation and political intolerance during the 2022 Brazilian Election. Using a three-wave survey, we show that citizens who believe false claims about electoral fraud become more intolerant toward political opponents over time. Beliefs in electoral misinformation consistently predicted increases in intolerance over the course of the election. We find an indirect effect for using messaging apps for news and intolerance, mediated by beliefs in electoral misinformation, suggesting that citizens who rely on messaging apps for news are not only more susceptible to believing misinformation but also to its detrimental effects on democracy. These findings highlight electoral misinformation as a key driver of intolerant attitudes in polarized democracies, operating not only by eroding trust in institutions but also by undermining citizens’ commitment to democratic norms
Policy interventions for the future of work: do Australians want government compensation, guidance, or investment to manage technological change?
Get PDFThis paper examines how Australian attitudes toward the future of work shape support for policy interventions, drawing on nationally representative survey data (n = 1,035). We focus on three dimensions of technological change: displacement, deskilling, and de-intensification, and analyse how these expectations map onto preferences for investment, compensation, and steering policies. Our findings show that those concerned about displacement support a broad mix of responses, including compensation through basic income, steering through taxation of technology companies, and investment in education and training, but not limits on working hours. Concerns about deskilling are distinctively associated with fairness-based demands for taxing firms, highlighting expectations that technology developers bear responsibility for labour market disruption. By contrast, those who expect de-intensification, where technology is seen to make work safer and more compatible with private life, favour steering through working-time limits and also support training. Across all groups, investment policies receive the strongest endorsement, reflecting the dominance of skill-focused adaptation strategies in both public opinion and government agendas. These results underscore the importance of incorporating sociotropic perspectives into analyses of public preferences, revealing how collective judgments about fairness, equity, and shared responsibility condition the political feasibility of labour market reforms in response to technological change
How and why we write
No full textThis is the seventeenth contribution to NILQ's Reflections on Writing series and the second in NILQ 2026 volume 77
Advances in magnesium-based non-PGM electrocatalysts for efficient overall water splitting
No full textElectrochemical water splitting (EWS) offers a sustainable route for hydrogen (H2) production, yet its large-scale deployment remains constrained by its reliance on platinum (Pt) and iridium/ruthenium oxides (IrO2/RuO2), which are both scarce and expensive. Recent efforts to develop earth-abundant, non-PGM electrocatalysts have increasingly focused on magnesium (Mg) and Mg-based materials owing to their natural abundance, low cost, favorable electronic properties, and ability to form catalytically active alloys and composites. This review systematically explores the recent progress in the development of Mg- and Mg-based electrocatalysts for EWS, emphasizing their structural design, synthesis routes, crystallinity, morphology, and electrochemical performance. The underlying reaction mechanisms, critical parameters influencing catalytic activity, and current challenges associated with scalability and device integration are discussed. By consolidating recent developments and mechanistic insights, this review outlines rational design principles and prospective research directions for the development of next-generation, cost-effective, and durable Mg-based electrocatalysts for efficient H2 production
Devolved invisibility: identity and belonging among Latin American communities in Scotland
No full textIn a nation known for welcoming migrants and its history of transnational solidarity but marked by colonial amnesia, this article addresses the research gap on Latin American communities in Scotland. It focuses on first-generation migrants who settled in Scotland in the 21st century, examining how they negotiate identity and belonging against the backdrop of political devolution. Using the metaphor of the Walking Palm tree to analyse Latin American identities in the UK, and as a lens for rethinking migration in a devolved nation, this article seeks to deepen understanding of Latin American migration, cultural histories, and heritages in Scotland
Internationalization in higher education beyond the Western horizon: critical perspectives
No full textThis article introduces the special issue, and together with it, addresses the development of a critical turn in studies of internationalization, seeking to highlight its two major issues. First, it has tended to employ a narrow range of theoretical and analytical perspectives, and second, it has been limited in its empirical and geographical scope. A central argument is that, in order to understand internationalization in the context of a rapidly changing, increasingly multipolar world, the study of internationalization processes must itself reflect the increasing complexity of the global political economy in conceptual and spatial terms. This special issue brings together scholars working across a range of geographical, political and institutional contexts to interrogate how internationalization is conceived and practiced beyond the Western horizon
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