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Multilingual research dissemination:Current practices and implications for bibliometrics
No full textEnglish is widely used as a lingua franca in scholarly communication, yet preserving local languages is vital to reaching a broader audience. Disseminating research in multiple languages can help ensure equitable access, a responsibility shared by both publishers and authors. This study examines the practices of both groups to identify any notable differences. Several academic social networks, preprint servers and repositories are analysed to evaluate the resources currently available and their existing policies. Additionally, journals that actively promote multilingual dissemination are reviewed to understand their implementation strategies and how these align with the standards set by their DOI Registration Agency (DOI RA). From the author’s perspective, differing policies across platforms can heavily influence decisions, mainly because not all platforms provide relationship metadata. Publishers face similar challenges, underscoring the urgent need for standardization. Moreover, the lack of consistency creates opportunities for unethical practices in academia, such as counting the total of citations originating from the same article in different languages. This highlights the importance of a more comprehensive approach to evaluating research beyond citation and document counts. Collaboration among publishers, authors and other stakeholders is essential to fostering greater understanding and preventing misconceptions in the academic landscape.</p
Attitudes toward pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention: Implications for sexuality education
No full textStigma toward pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a significant barrier to its implementation and uptake, limiting its capacity to reduce the incidence of HIV. This cross-sectional survey study examines attitudes toward PrEP in a sample of 514 heterosexual individuals (N=318 in the United Kingdom, N=196 in Germany). Participants completed measures of HIV knowledge, perceived HIV risk, HIV fear, HIV stigma (prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination), homonegativity, trust in science and scientists, and PrEP positivity. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that trust in science and scientists and perceived HIV risk were positively associated with PrEP positivity, and that HIV stereotyping was negatively associated with PrEP positivity independently of the other variables. The results suggest that sexuality education should promote greater trust in science and scientists, challenge negative stereotypes of HIV, and raise HIV risk awareness to support HIV prevention efforts
Origins of compositional diversity in natural zeolites within the Antrim Lava Group, Northern Ireland, UK
No full textThe Antrim Lava Group comprises voluminous alkaline basalts, less extensive tholeiitic basalts, and inter-flow sediments formed in the Palaeocene between 63.2 and 60.0 Ma during early rifting of the North Atlantic. Zeolites and associated minerals crystallized within vesicles during post-eruptive hydrothermal overprinting as the lava pile of >80 flows accumulated. Studies in the mid-20th century established geographical patterns in zeolite species distributions which reflect host rock chemistry (alkaline vs. tholeiitic) and coastal vs. inland exposures of the lava pile. Zeolites crystallized from relatively high-salinity hydrothermal fluids, such as phillipsite-Na, gmelinite-Na and gobbinsite, appear to be spatially associated with coastal outcrops of the Antrim Lava Group. Unusual Mg-rich varieties of chabazite and heulandite are geographically restricted to a coastal location on Islandmagee.Data presented here as bivariate and ternary compositional diagrams, from EMPA obtained in PhD research in the 1980s and more recent EMPA and SEM-EDS analyses, illustrates a wide heterogeneity in alkaline element chemistry and Si/Al ratios in Antrim zeolites. We explore the extent to which this diversity may be due to ionic exchange with modern seawater in specimens from coastal locations. Inland and coastal localities of Antrim zeolite specimens are distinguished on previously published discrimination diagrams utilizing graphs of Si/Al vs. (Na+K)/Ca in phillipsite and chabazite associated with freshwater and seawater-influenced environments in Antarctica. A marine influence is also clearly evident in erionite and gmelinite given their wide compositional ranges extending to high ratios of Si/Al and (Na+K)/Ca in specimens from the same localities where phillipsite and chabazite show high ratios. Individual crystals commonly show zonation from Ca-dominant cores to Na-dominant rims, for example changing from garronite in the core to gobbinsite in the rim. Chabazite from Rathlin Island and erionite and cowlesite from the north coast location of Dunseverick have exceptionally high Na contents. We infer that seawater interaction is more rapid and extensive with fibrous zeolites such as erionite than with species that form blocky crystals.<br/
A population health and lifestyle survey of a coastal city in South East England (Health Counts 2024): Protocol for a cross-sectional study.
Get PDFBackground: Health and lifestyle population surveys are important in public health to identify trends, provide data to monitor the effectiveness and reach of public health initiatives and policies, and help allocate health resources more equitably. Surveys are a methodologically robust way of examining the inequalities in health outcomes or access to resources across a number of socio-demographic groups in a defined geographic area. This particular public health survey will provide information that cannot be obtained from other sources.Aim: The aim of the study is to generate comprehensive public health relevant data from an adult population in a defined geographic coastal area of South East England.Methods: A cross-sectional, non-interventional (observational) health and lifestyle population survey was developed using a mobile first design approach to recruitment, with the content drawing on a previous iteration of the survey in 2012. Previous Health Counts surveys in this region have been conducted approximately every ten years since 1992 to provide data about trends over time. Extensive rounds of consultation and testing took place between October 2023 and February 2024. The final survey comprised of 102 questions structured around 13 contemporary public health issues in the UK. Survey distribution was by two rounds of text messaging through all General Practices (GP) in Brighton and Hove, to all adults registered with a GP, with a mobile phone who had not opted out of communications; advertising across a range of public facing initiatives; and included targeted outreach activities for potentially marginalised groups e.g. in public libraries and community groups. Enrolment took place between 18th March and 28th April 2024.Results: A total of 26, 014 eligible people responded. Data analysis has started and results will be reported in the summer of 2025.Conclusions: Understanding trends in population inequalities over time, as well as gaining insights into new areas for the very first time, Health Counts 2024 data can inform decision-making on strategies to improve health and reduce inequalities by local authorities in the England, and the NHS but also potentially across other European cities through the effective dissemination and sharing of promising practices as an integral part of evidenced-based public health
Attention and ambience in The Zone of Interest
Get PDFJonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest (2023) eschews visually representing the Holocaust and is unique in displacing its representation of the atrocities taking place in the camps to the soundtrack. Ostensibly, the film allies itself with a commitment to not showing that has a long history in debates around how to represent the Holocaust. Yet, this has led to an unhelpful opposition between the film we watch and the film we hear. This cleaves the soundtrack too neatly away from the visual track, following a tendency in sound studies to denigrate vision while idealising listening (Sterne, 2003). In this article, I argue that the film uses ambient sound to call upon a witnessing by hearing but also calls our capacity to be effective earwitnesses into question, problematising simple divisions between the visual and the auditory. The film works with ambience (ambient, acousmatic sound and ambient mise-en-scene) as an ethico-aesthetic that modulates a spectator’s attention – the ways we are called upon to listen and look. It alternates between eliciting interest and encouraging detachment, allowing viewer-auditors to feel superior to the banality of evil shown on screen, and showing them they are never too far away from it
Behavioral, Virologic, and Immunologic Factors Associated with the Acquisition and Severity of Mpox:A Tale of Africa and America
No full textBackground: Mpox (formerly monkeypox) has emerged as a critical public health issue worldwide, characterized by notable differences in acquisition and disease severity between Africa and the Americas. Understanding the interplay of behavioral, virologic, and immunologic factors is essential to addressing these disparities.Aim: This review examines the behavioral, virologic, and immunologic determinants influencing Mpox acquisition and severity, with a focus on regional variations in Africa and the Americas.Methodology: A narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed articles, public health reports, and official guidelines published between 2019 and 2024. Key sources were identified via databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Analysis centered on behavioral risk factors (e.g., sexual networks, wildlife exposure), virologic attributes (e.g., viral clades), and immunologic influences (e.g., vaccination status).Results: The findings reveal distinct regional differences in Mpox transmission dynamics and outcomes. In Africa, zoonotic transmission is prominent, compounded by poor hygiene and under-resourced healthcare systems. In the Americas, outbreaks are driven predominantly by human-to-human transmission within sexual networks, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM), and international travel. Virologically, the Central African clade demonstrates greater virulence than the West African clade, which has predominated recent global outbreaks. Immunologically, limited smallpox vaccination coverage in younger African populations has increased vulnerability, while partial cross-protection from smallpox vaccines in the Americas has mitigated disease severity to some extent.Conclusion: Effective Mpox control necessitates region-specific public health strategies. Enhanced vaccination programs, improved healthcare infrastructure, and tailored interventions addressing behavioral and virologic drivers are critical. Global collaboration is imperative to mitigate Mpox's spread and burden while addressing socio-economic and epidemiological disparities
Alternative Models of Art Education - Kibbo Kift
No full textAlternative Models of Art Education: A series of short introductions. Mark Rohtmaa-Jackson, Annebella Pollen and Elina Merenmies explore radical approaches to art education with reference to both historical and contemporary alternative models. This series of short audio introductions presents specific historical and contemporary approaches to art education, explored by artist-educators who have helped shape their respective models or researchers who have studied them. Mark Rohtmaa-Jackson discusses the LungA School (Seyðisfjörður, Iceland). Annebella Pollen discusses the history of the Kibbo Kift (UK). Elina Merenmies discusses the Free Art School (Helsinki, Finland). Each explore how alternative art education interacts with mainstream systems, behaviours and pedagogies, raising fundamental questions about what makes a school – i.e. a building, a curriculum, a community, a set of values – while reflecting on the role of students as co-authors of their learning environment. They consider the tension between autonomy and structure, the balance between freedom and being disciplined, and how resourcefulness, collective care, and site-specific tools can redefine what a school can be. This conversation was originally chaired by Dr Susannah Haslam and recorded during ROOM, a one-day gathering that took place on 7 June 2025, marking the tenth anniversary of Freelands Foundation and the first activation of its new home on 12 Errol Street, EC1Y. The day was dedicated to gathering and sharing artist-teaching practices, while serving as a blueprint for mapping the potential of our new space and exploring a vision for the next decade of the Foundation’s work
Development of a translational strategy for using TIMP-3 to inhibit aggrecanase activity in osteoarthritis
Get PDFObjectiveTherapeutic potential of selective aggrecanase inhibition in osteoarthritis (OA) was previously demonstrated using a variant of endogenous tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3); however, this relied on transgenic mice overexpressing TIMP-3. Here, we develop a translational approach for harnessing the aggrecanase-selective inhibitory activity of TIMP-3 using the latency associated peptide (LAP) technology.MethodsWe successfully produced and purified recombinant LAP-TIMP-3 fusion proteins and determined the pharmacokinetics of these proteins in vivo following systemic injection. Surgical and non-surgical mouse models of OA were used to establish the therapeutic potential of these proteins in reducing aggrecanase activity in mouse joints affected by OA.ResultsThe presence of the LAP conferred favourable TIMP-3 pharmacokinetics, with effective delivery of LAP-TIMP-3 to knee joints after systemic injection. We find that LAP-TIMP-3 also effectively reduced aggrecanase activity in OA-affected joints, both in spontaneously-occurring OA and in the destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM) model of OA. We also found that reductions in aggrecanase activity in articular cartilage correlated with improved disease scores, but only in earlier stages of disease.ConclusionsThis study describes the potential of LAP-TIMP-3 as a therapeutic agent in OA, showing delivery to the cartilage of joints affected by OA after systemic administration and lower levels of the neoepitope of aggrecan in articular cartilage in mild disease (mean difference versus vehicle control for LAP-TIMP-3: 535 [95% CI: 336, 733] and for LAP-mutTIMP-3: 522 [95% CI: 323, 720] arbitrary units). These first in vivo data will inform further explorations into dose optimization and timing
The Importance of Sleep
Get PDFA live demonstration of an online telepresence video performance, allowing conference delegates, two at a time on separate computers, to interact and perform within the live-streamed video sequence. The telepresence video performance ‘The Importance of Sleep’ was developed by Hong Kong artist Jack Li, commissioned by Birds of Paradise Theatre Company (BOP) and Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (ADAHK) for the British Council Hong Kong SPARK III Festival, 18th to 20th October 2024. The commission and collaboration with ADAHK resulted from BOP’s involvement in the AHRC research project ‘A Telepresence Stage for Disability Performing Arts’ (AH/Y004000/1) led by Paul Sermon at the University of Brighton, School of Art and Media. ‘The Importance of Sleep’ is a 7-minute experimental video performance with an opportunity for live audience participation via a computer webcam. The work explores how the human body prepares for a new day during sleep, based on the Chinese legend of Zhou Gong, the God of Dreams. The story depicts a character falling asleep after a long day, told through digital scenography with integrated Cantonese sign language and Cantonese/English audio description. Throughout the night, Zhou Gong cleans and repairs several organs in the body with the help of two online participants, who appear inside recreated organs, such as the liver and lungs, where they playfully improvise cleaning tasks. Previous recordings of the interactive performance can be seen here: https://locked-world.boptheatre.co.uk/artworks/the-importance-of-sleep/?tab=Artwork.The online artwork utilises techniques in online video chat and streaming media, such as virtual backgrounds and networked video production, combined with virtual green-screen compositing and set design to superimpose and composite remote participants together. It was a significant technical challenge to put the participants inside the original video artwork, but with live video compositing software and Jack Li’s support, we reconstructed his video, layer by layer, as a unique interactive telepresence experience.More info at http://www.telepresencestage.org.<br/
Deep Learning in Airborne Particulate Matter Sensing and Surface Plasmon Resonance for Environmental Monitoring
Get PDFThis review explores advanced sensing technologies and deep learning (DL) methodologies for monitoring airborne particulate matter (PM), which is critical for environmental health assessments. It begins with discussing the significance of PM monitoring and introduces surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as a promising technique in environmental applications, alongside the role of DL neural networks in enhancing these technologies. This review analyzes advancements in airborne PM sensing technologies and the integration of DL methodologies for environmental monitoring. This review emphasizes the importance of PM monitoring for public health, environmental policy, and scientific research. Traditional PM sensing methods, including their principles, advantages, and limitations, are discussed, covering gravimetric techniques, continuous monitoring, optical and electrical methods, and microscopy. The integration of DL with PM sensing offers potential for enhancing monitoring accuracy, efficiency, and data interpretation. DL techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), autoencoders, recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and their variants, are examined for applications like PM estimation from satellite data, air quality prediction, and sensor calibration. This review highlights the data acquisition and quality challenges in developing effective DL models for air quality monitoring. Techniques for handling large and noisy datasets are explored, emphasizing the importance of data quality for model performance, generalizability, and interpretability. The emergence of low-cost sensor technologies and hybrid systems for PM monitoring is discussed, acknowledging their promise while recognizing the need for addressing data quality, standardization, and integration issues. This review identifies areas for future research, including the development of robust DL models, advanced data fusion techniques, applications of deep reinforcement learning, and considerations of ethical implications