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Accent change in the wake of the Industrial Revolution : Tracing derhoticisation across historic north Lancashire
Full text linkThis paper applies a social model of historical dialect evolution in nineteenth century Britain (Kerswill, 2018) to analysis of sociophonetic data. Our aim is to assess where new dialect formation is likely to occur, and where it is not. Using recordings from 27 speakers we first analyse coda rhoticity in north Lancashire, UK. The speakers were born 1890– 1917 in three urban settlements which contrast in social makeup and history. The quantitative analysis shows strong maintenance of rhoticity in speakers from Preston, less so in Lancaster, and almost no rhoticity in Barrow-in-Furness, an industrial boom town. We then use historical census data to analyse population origin, growth, occupation, and fertility rates to argue that new dialect formation occurred in Barrow during the late 19th century, leading to accelerated derhoticisation. Overall, our analysis supports a model of urban historical dialect change which includes population origins, social networks, and population dynamics
Effects along the epithelial-mesenchymal biointerface in direct cell self-organisation : multiscale theoretical analysis
Full text linkEpithelial cancer ranks among the most deadly types of cancer globally. Focusing on the disease's early stages could lead to significant enhancements in the survival rates of cancer patients. The initial phase of the disease is associated with the dissemination of cancer cells into the adjacent healthy epithelium. Therefore, a more profound understanding of cell dynamics at the biointerface between epithelial and cancer (mesenchymal) cells is essential for managing the disease promptly. The dynamics of cells at this epithelial-cancer biointerface arises through interplay between a variety of biological and physical mechanisms. Although considerable research has been dedicated to examining the spread of cancer cells across the epithelium, the physical mechanisms that govern the dynamics at the biointerface remain poorly understood. The main goal of this multi-scale theoretical consideration is to emphasize the influence of physical factors, such as the viscoelasticity of the subpopulations and the dilational viscoelasticity of the biointerface, on the efficiency with which cancer spreads through the epithelium. We do so by consideration of the mechanical coupling between the epithelial and cancer mesenchymal-like subpopulations. In this review, we consider this complex phenomenon from a multiscale mechanical perspective that has not been explicitly addressed in earlier studies, using model systems such as the segregation of co-cultured epithelial–mesenchymal spheroids. The mechanical-coupling between the subpopulations arising from the system’s viscoelasticity is discussed from the cellular to supracellular levels in order to recognize the main physical factors responsible for the spreading of cancer
Evaluating the impact of NHS strikes on patient flow through emergency departments
Full text linkBackground: Since December 2022, the National Health Service (NHS) has experienced large-scale strikes by staff. The NHS cancels approximately 12 million elective care appointments each year, and around 1 million elective appointments were cancelled due to strikes between 2022 and 2024. During strikes, emergency care is prioritised, and it has been claimed that emergency departments (EDs) run ‘better than usual’. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in patient flow into hospitals through the ED during the strike periods. Methods: Cox proportional hazards modelling was applied to data from two different EDs in the north-west of England to model time between patient arrival at the ED and their subsequent admission. Systematic (linear temporal trend, yearly seasonality, daily seasonality, weekends, ED ‘heat’) and patient/presentation-level factors (urgency, service referred to, patient age, ethnicity and gender) were controlled for. The impact of different striking professions on patient time to admission was investigated using HRs, where a higher HR indicated faster admission. Results: Over the analysis period, we observed 61 separate strike days: 40 junior doctor strike days, 11 nursing days, 10 consultant days and 7 ambulance days. Junior doctor and consultant strikes coincided on 4 days. For the type 1 ED, median time to see a clinician was similar on strike and non-strike days (median 2 hours 27 min on strike days (IQR: 1 hour 2 min to 4 hours 53 min), 2 hours 27 min on non-strike days (IQR: 1 hour 5 min to 5 hours 14 min)). Patients were admitted through the ED more quickly on both the junior doctor and consultant strike days compared with non-strike days (HRs: 1.12, 1.28, both p≤0.001). This increased flow was only seen while consultants were striking in the type 2 smaller ED. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the improved patient flow observed on strike days could be driven by the additional inpatient capacity created through the postponement of elective care. This result indicates that NHS hospital systems could potentially be adjusted to enhance turnaround times and reduce ED crowding
Regime-Aware Risk Parity : Conditioning the Covariance Matrix on Macroeconomic and Stock Market Regimes
No full textThe authors investigate a regime-aware risk parity strategy designed to stabilize portfolio risk across various regimes. Their method dynamically adjusts an industry-standard multi-asset portfolio to the current macroeconomic and stock market environment. Specifically, they integrate macroeconomic data and stock market risk indicators, including the S&P 500 implied volatility term structure, into an estimation of the covariance matrix that drives the risk parity strategy. This integration aims to enhance the robustness of regime predictions. The empirical results demonstrate that the ability to differentiate risk and return profiles leads to more precise control of ex post portfolio risk across all regimes. It also improves out-of-sample portfolio performance when macroeconomic and market conditionalities are incorporated into the original risk parity portfolio. These enhancements are observed to be robust across various definitions of conditionality, time periods, and asset classes
Search for heavy neutral leptons in π + decays to positrons
No full textA search for heavy neutral lepton (N) production in π + → e + N in-flight decays using data collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2017–2024 is reported. Upper limits for the extended neutrino mixing matrix element |U e4|2 are established at the level of 10 − 8 for heavy neutral leptons with mass in the range 95–126 MeV/c 2 and lifetime exceeding 50 ns
An online data analysis framework for small-scale physics experiments
No full textA robust and flexible architecture capable of providing real-time analysis on diagnostic data is of crucial importance to physics experiments. In this paper, we present such an online framework, used in June 2025 as part of the HRMT-68 experiment, performed at the HiRadMat facility at CERN, using the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) beam line. HRMT-68 was a fixed-target laboratory astrophysics experiment aiming to identify plasma instabilities generated by a relativistic electron–positron beam during traversal of an argon plasma. This framework was essential for experimental data acquisition and analysis, and can be adapted for a broad range of similar-scale experiments with a variety of experimental diagnostics, even those without a standard direct network communication interface. The developed framework’s customizable design enabled us to rapidly observe and extract emergent features from a diverse range of diagnostic data. Simultaneously, its modularity allowed for a quick introduction of new diagnostic devices and the modification of our analysis as features of interest were identified. As a result, we were able to effectively diagnose equipment malfunction, and infer the beam’s response to varying bunch duration, beam intensity, and the plasma state without resorting to offline analysis, at which time adjustment or improvement would have been impossible. We present the features of this agile framework, whose codebase we have made publicly available so that it may be adapted for future experiments with minimal modification
LOXL2⁺ cancer-associated fibroblasts shape WNT signaling to drive chemoresistance and poor outcomes in colorectal cancer : Insights from multi-omics and epidemiological analyses
No full textBackground Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) critically influence colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and therapy response, yet their epidemiological and molecular heterogeneity remains underexplored. Methods We integrated bulk, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomic datasets from multiple CRC cohorts, together with patient-derived tissues and functional assays, to delineate CAF subtypes and their clinical significance. Epidemiological analyses were performed across independent cohorts to evaluate the association between CAF markers and patient outcomes. Results A myofibroblastic CAF (myCAF) subset characterized by high LOXL2 expression was consistently enriched in advanced and chemoresistant CRC samples. Multi-omics correlation analyses revealed that LOXL2⁺ CAFs activated WNT signaling in adjacent tumor cells, promoting stemness and drug resistance. Across population-based cohorts, elevated LOXL2 expression was independently associated with poor overall and disease-free survival, as confirmed by multivariate Cox regression. Spatial transcriptomics and immunofluorescence demonstrated close physical interaction between LOXL2⁺ CAFs and WNT5A-positive cancer cells. Functional inhibition or genetic silencing of LOXL2 and wnt5a in CAFs restored chemosensitivity in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Conclusions Our integrative epidemiological and experimental analyses identify LOXL2⁺ CAFs as a key stromal determinant of chemoresistance and poor prognosis in CRC. These findings highlight a clinically relevant stromal biomarker with potential for risk stratification and therapeutic targeting in colorectal cancer
Bio-derived liquid organic hydrogen carriers for reversible hydrogen storage
No full textHydrogen, as a clean and renewable energy carrier, provides a viable solution to the global energy crisis and environmental challenges, thanks to its carbon-free and recyclable nature. Beyond production technologies, developing an effective and scalable hydrogen storage technique is an important approach, facilitated by the Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) that have recently emerged as a highly potential method to store and transport hydrogen reliably for long-term and long-distance, respectively. Conventional LOHC systems are produced from fossil fuel derivatives using expensive refining processes, contributing to environmental contamination. Hence, to address these issues, bio-based LOHC systems derived from biomass have been explored as a sustainable alternative. This study reviews the concept of LOHC technology and several conventional LOHC pairs and places a research focus on bio-based LOHC systems development. In addition, recent advancements in the catalysts employed in (de) hydrogenation reactions of LOHC couples are discussed, emphasizing the key factors that increase their catalytic performance, including the nature of the active phase, the nature of support, dispersion, textural parameters, promoters, and synthesis method
Only One Percent of Important Shark and Ray Areas in the Western Indian Ocean Are Fully Protected From Fishing Pressure
Full text linkThe Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is known for its high diversity of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and chimaeras). However, intense fishing pressure has led to severe population declines and local extinctions of several species. The Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) process is a collaborative, evidence‐based approach used to identify critical habitat for chondrichthyans. We analysed ISRAs across the WIO to quantify the diversity of research methods used to identify them, evaluate spatial overlap with designated marine protected areas (MPAs), model the influence of several species‐ and jurisdiction‐specific variables on ISRA delineation, and explore the importance of incorporating unpublished data into the delineation process. In total, 125 ISRAs (covering > 2.8 million km2; ~10% of total regional surface area) were identified within the WIO from surface waters to ~2000 m depth. These ISRAs contain over one‐third (n = 104, 39%) of the 270 chondrichthyan species reported from the region, with 76% being threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The underlying evidence supporting ISRA identification was primarily drawn from relatively inexpensive research methods, such as visual census (25%) or fish‐market/landing site surveys (22.6%), as well as citizen science (9.5%). Incorporating unpublished records substantially increased the frequency of ISRA delineation, leading to expanded taxonomic and geographic coverage. Still, the full dataset was influenced by the same biases as the published record, tending to favour large‐bodied, wide‐ranging, and shallow‐dwelling species. Only 7.1% of ISRAs are within designated MPAs, with just 1.2% in fully protected no‐take areas. The highest no‐take overlap occurs in the Seychelles and Chagos Archipelago. These findings highlight the shortfalls in spatial protection of chondrichthyan habitats, but also present a strategic opportunity for policy‐makers and resource managers to improve current MPA coverage and meet their commitments under international agreements, such as the Global Biodiversity Framework