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Childhood experiences of domestic violence and health service utilisation
No full textBackground
Childhood experiences of domestic violence (EDV) are associated with short- and long-term adverse mental and physical health outcomes for victim-survivors; however, little is known about the health service utilisation among individuals with childhood EDV.
Objective
Examine associations between different forms of childhood EDV and health service utilisation.
Participants and setting
Data were drawn from the the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (n = 8503).
Methods
Associations between four forms of childhood EDV (physical violence, threats of harm, damage to property or pets, and intimidation or control) and past 12-month health service utilisation (hospitalisation, and consultation with seven health professionals) were analysed using survey-weighted logistic regression models. Estimates were calculated independently for each form of childhood EDV. Models were adjusted for each other form of EDV, four child maltreatment types, and socio-economic factors. Models were stratified by gender.
Results
Utilisation of mental health services (psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health nurses) were significantly more common among both women and men with childhood EDV compared to those without. The strongest associations were between any domestic violence and a primary care physician consultation (aOR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.25–1.78), and intimidation or control and a mental health professional consultation (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.22–1.69), after full adjustment. Associations were typically stronger for men in the gender-stratified analyses.
Conclusions
Childhood EDV significantly increases the likelihood of health service utilisation across the lifespan. Greater investment in domestic violence education and training for health professionals is needed
2.10 Fluorination enabled by electrochemistry
No full textOrganic electrosynthesis, which involves the electrochemical activation of organic molecules for subsequent reactions, offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional synthetic methods by enabling oxidation and reduction processes without relying on hazardous or toxic reagents. Electrochemical fluorination, in particular, represents a safer and cleaner approach compared to conventional chemical fluorination methods. This review highlights the advancements in fluorination enabled by electrochemistry, providing an overview of methodologies employing nucleophilic and electrophilic fluorine sources, with a focus on recent trends and innovations in the field
Parental involvement and engagement during COVID ‐19 lockdowns: school staff and parents' reflections about children's learning at home
Full text linkValuing parental engagement, as part of home–school collaboration, can benefit children's learning. This article focuses on parents and school‐based staff's ( N = 120) experiences of children's learning occurring at home during the COVID‐19 lockdowns (2020–2021), both school‐mandated and other learning activities. It examines qualitative responses from a survey of 11 educational settings partnered with a university‐based teacher training institution in England. Participants reflected on experiences of children's learning, relationships, and well‐being, to consider positive aspects, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Inductive thematic analysis identified three key areas: contact – which focused on communication approaches and the connections established from the relationships between home and school; participation – which was school staff's facilitation of learning and parents' involvement in schooling and/or engagement with their children's learning, and the logistics of this; equitable access – which focused on evaluating the equity and accessibility of learning. Using the lens of Goodall's parental engagement continuum model, deductive analysis evaluated what learning occurred at home. This distinguished between parental involvement (where parents supported their children's learning through activities linked to coursework or homework, with limited parental agency) and engagement with their children's learning (where parents engaged with learning beyond school – through home, leisure, and family activities, with parents exercising greater autonomy to support children's learning and achievement). Findings indicated a greater propensity of parental involvement in schooling occurring, compared with parental engagement with their children's learning, and implications and recommendations are presented to consider how educators may reflect upon and develop parental engagement
Specialization and adaptation in pollen sterol use by wild bees
Full text linkSterols are stabilising components of membranes and hormone precursors in eukaryotes. Honeybees incorporate a subset of pollen-derived sterols into their tissues, rather than converting phytosterols to cholesterol as occurs in most insect herbivores. To establish whether this approach to sterol acquisition was typical of all bees, we measured the sterolome of 56 bee species representing all major bee families to identify and quantify which pollen sterols they used. The Δ5 sterols, 24-methylenecholesterol, isofucosterol and β-sitosterol, which are common components of pollen sterolomes were also the main sterols in most bee species, but this was not so in a minority of species suggesting they had different sterol requirements. Generalists contained more 24-methlyenecholesterol than their specialist congeners, suggesting an adaptation to use pollen sterols that occur widely in plants whereas Asteraceae specialists use pollen sterols that are not used by generalists, which may explain the Asteraceae paradox. Overall, our data suggests an ecological rather than phylogenetic driver of bee sterol composition
Unlocking SME innovation success through sequenced collaboration
Full text linkThis study examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sequence their open innovation (OI) activities over the course of individual innovation projects. Moving beyond static firm-level analyses, we explore the dynamics of partner engagement and value capture in 106 European SMEs. Using a dataset of 500 OI activities—termed “OI moves”—we identify patterns that combine partner type and exploitation mode. By comparing more and less successful SMEs, we reveal that sequencing plays a critical role in innovation outcomes. Successful SMEs tend to engage R&D service provid-ers early, prioritize internal exploitation initially, and later transition to co- and external exploitation. In con-trast, less successful SMEs rely prematurely on external exploitation and fail to retain value from their innovation efforts. Our dynamic, journey-based approach advances the predominantly static treatment of OI in prior research by operationalizing OI as sequences of linked activities rather than isolated collaboration choices. This enables us to identify a limited set of recurrent pathways associated with successful outcomes, as well as distinct pathways that consistently lead to unsuccessful outcomes. We also highlight the underexplored role of exploitation modes in OI: not just which partners SMEs engage, but when and under which value-capture logic. The sequencing of inter-nal, joint, and external exploitation emerges as a key dif-ferentiator between successful and less successful SME innovation strategies. For theory, the study contributes a dynamic process perspective to OI research, demonstrat-ing that value capture is path-dependent and shaped by the temporal ordering of OI moves. For practice, the find-ings provide actionable guidance of steps for SMEs to fol-low in order to be successful with OI
Operando X‐Ray computed tomography reveals the role of interfacial nucleation nanolayers in suppressing mechanical failure in zero‐excess lithium all‐solid‐state batteries
Full text linkLithium metal (LM) and zero-excess lithium (ZE) anodes offer pathways to increase the energy density of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). We employ operando X-ray computed tomography combined with an image subtraction method to visualize lithium plating/stripping morphology, stack mechanical failure, and quantify the lithium reversibility in asymmetric Li6PS5Cl (LPSC)-based ASSBs. Lithium metal counter electrode (CE) and copper (Cu) working electrode (WE) emulate LM and ZE interface configurations, respectively. We compare bare Cu and silver-coated Cu (Ag/Cu) WEs under varying current densities. At 0.25 mA cm−2(WE), bare Cu shows edge-localized and non-uniform lithium deposition, while Ag/Cu facilitates more uniform lithium spreading, but results in higher first-cycle irreversibility and lower Coulombic efficiency. Above 0.5 mA cm−2(WE), failure in Li|LPSC|Cu cells initiate at the LPSC|Cu interface via spallation cracks. In contrast, Ag preserves interface integrity at the WE despite lithium initially plates at discrete nucleation spots. However, failure shifts to the Li|LPSC interface, where non-uniform lithium depletion at the CE exposes the underlying Cu, leading to spallation cracks upon subsequent plating. Mechanical finite element simulations support these observations and underscore the critical role of the nucleation layers in mitigating mechanical failure. This study highlights interface engineering as a key strategy to address electro-chemo-mechanical degradation in LM- and ZE-ASSBs.
Swiss Nanoscience Institute
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung. Grant Number: Sinergia CRSII5_202296
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Faraday Institutio
The role of empathy in resource control strategy selection and social dominance in early childhood
Full text linkThis cross-sectional study examined the associations between affective and cognitive empathy, resource control strategies (RCS), resource control success, and social dominance in preschool children, within the framework of resource control theory. Ninety-two children (ages 4–5) completed assessments of empathy, while teachers rated their prosocial and aggressive behaviors, prosocial and coercive RCS, resource control success, and social dominance. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that prosocial resource control strategies uniquely predicted children’s resource control success, whereas social dominance, examined as a distinct social status outcome, was explained by a combination of prosocial and coercive strategies, general prosocial behavior, and resource control success. Affective empathy was positively related to both types of RCS, while cognitive empathy moderated the link between affective empathy and coercive RCS. These findings highlight the dual potential of empathy in early peer relations, suggesting that empathy may facilitate both cooperative and coercive tactics in the pursuit of social influence. The findings also underscore the need to distinguish between behavioral strategies, their effectiveness, and broader social status outcomes when examining early social dominance. Implications for interventions that cultivate constructive applications of empathy are discussed
High-throughput nuclear morphometric analysis for pig sperm quality assessment
Full text linkArtificial insemination (AI) is commonplace in commercial pig breeding, and as such, ensuring sperm sample quality is of utmost importance to avoid reduced farrowing rates and litter sizes. Here, we have used high-throughput nuclear morphometric analysis to compare pig sperm samples categorised as meeting the AI standard (AIS) or not meeting the AI standard (N-AIS) (50 vs. 44 samples from unique boars, respectively). We show that pig sperm nuclei are asymmetric, that samples contain phenotypic shape abnormalities that show continuous variation and that samples classed as N-AIS have more abnormally shaped sperm than AIS samples. This variation is not detected in conventional analysis. The specific phenotypes identified suggest the disruption of key aspects of spermiogenesis and indicate future avenues for improving pig sperm quality. Additionally, we find that the distribution and severity of abnormal sperm phenotypes were significantly associated with the day of semen collection, indicating that environmental factors may influence sperm morphology. High-throughput nuclear morphometric analysis therefore reveals significant differences in sperm head morphology between AIS and N-AIS pig sperm samples and has the potential to be further developed as a tool for sperm assessment both in the pig breeding industry and in other species
Microstructural characterization of four nixtamalized and saccharified underutilized legume powders
Full text linkUnderutilized legumes such as Bambara groundnut, Lima bean, African locust bean, and Black gram offer affordable sustainable protein sources, yet remain insufficiently characterized for ingredient development. Nixtamalization is established in cereals for enhancing mineral bioavailability, but its effects on legumes are poorly understood. Saccharification, intended to hydrolyze carbohydrates and yield protein-rich powders, lacks systematic evaluation in many legumes. This study applied nixtamalization followed by saccharification to legume flours and conducted comprehensive characterization using the Dumas method for protein quantification and SEM-EDX, XRD, and FT-IR for microstructural and compositional analysis. Observations of intact starch granules embedded within protein bodies indicated the absence of gelatinization; XRD confirmed amorphous powder profiles; FT-IR identified functional groups consistent with carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids; and SEM-EDX detected multiple elements (Ca, K, Mg, Cu). Nixtamalization consistently increased calcium content, demonstrating its utility for mineral enhancement in legume matrices. In contrast, saccharification did not uniformly improve protein concentration: significant decreases in protein were observed in Bambara groundnut and Lima bean, while African locust bean and Black gram remained stable. These findings delineate processing-composition interactions that are legume-specific and advance the valorization of underutilized legumes. In future optimizing of process parameters to develop legume-derived protein concentrates and functional ingredients aligned with sustainable nutrition and diversified protein supply will be essential
‘We can’t be everywhere…but they can be out there’: co-producing road safety through Community Speedwatch
Full text linkCommunity Speedwatch (CSW) is a national scheme in the United Kingdom (UK) in which citizen volunteers receive training and equipment from their local police service to monitor and record details of speeding vehicles using approved detection devices. Registered vehicle keepers recorded as exceeding the speed limit are contacted – usually via a letter sent by the local police service – with the purpose of educating them about the risks and consequences of speeding. CSW represents a form of co-production in policing in which citizen volunteers play an active role in producing a service that is of consequence to them (road safety), alongside the ‘regular’ producer (the police) (Ostrom, 1996). This article explores road safety co-production ‘on the ground’ through the experiences of CSW volunteers and the police officers, staff, and road safety practitioners that work alongside them in two police force areas in the south of England, UK. Findings point to the ‘additionality’ that CSW brings to road safety, beyond which could be provided by the police alone. However, while this contribution was recognised, it was felt that similar resources were not invested by the police leading to feelings of an unequal or one-sided co-production relationship. The article concludes with calls to reframe co-production of road safety (and broader policing/community safety spaces) in which community led schemes and the individuals within them are seen as genuine partners by the police and other relevant agencies who in turn invest time and resources to involve, support, and promote their contribution
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