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Investigating traditional and novel predictors of a single versus multiple fragility fractures in a large observational cohort
Get PDFBackground: Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterised by reduced bone mass and a distortion of bone microarchitecture. It is clinically problematic as it leads to fragility fractures which confers excess morbidity and mortality on patients. Up to 32% of individuals will experience recurrent fragility fractures within two years of an initial fracture, yet existing risk models focus on the risk of having a single fragility fracture at a time. We aim to identify predictors of multiple fragility fractures to help improve risk stratification. Methods: 43,801 patients referred for their first DXA scan in the northwest of England between June 2004 and February 2024 were analysed. Participants underwent lumbar spine and femoral scans to assess bone density and regional body composition. A generalized additive model reporting odds ratios was used to compare risk factors for a single versus multiple fragility fractures. Results: Of the referred population, 14,212 (32.4%) had a single fragility fracture and 3,731 (8.5%) had multiple. Female gender was associated with lower odds of multiple fractures (OR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99), while increased odds were linked to family history of fractures (OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.35), secondary osteoporosis (OR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.26), rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.53), glucocorticoid therapy (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.39), smoking (OR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.45) and falls risk (OR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.54, 2.63). The combination of falls risk and alcohol consumption increased multiple fracture odds (OR 7.62, 95% CI: 2.77, 20.94). Left femoral T-score and body fat percentage showed significant non-linear effects (both p < 0.001). Conclusion: Multiple fragility fractures were associated with many traditional risk factors. We also identified a novel link between falls risk and alcohol consumption, as well as the significant associations with body composition
Carbonation behavior and mechanical performance of low-carbon recycled concrete under different CO2 pressures
Get PDFThe construction industry faces challenges from high cement-related carbon emissions and construction waste. To address carbon reduction, sequestration, and waste utilization, accelerated carbonation tests were conducted on low-carbon recycled concrete (LCRC) to evaluate the effects of recycled aggregate (RA) replacement ratio of natural aggregate (NA), cement replacement ratio by ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), and external CO2 pressure on carbonation depth and compressive strength. Microstructural analyses (SEM, EDX, MIP, and TGA-DSC) were conducted to analyze the microstructure, elemental distribution, pore structure, and compositional changes in LCRC before and after carbonation. Results showed that the LCRC carbonation depth increased and the compressive strength decreased with the increase of the RA and cement replacement ratios. The elevated external CO2 pressure significantly accelerated carbonation, enhancing both carbonation depth and compressive strength. Under supercritical condition (7.5 MPa), the carbonation depth of the LCRC increased by an average of 164 % compared to samples at 0.1 MPa, while the average compressive strength was 47 % higher than that of the uncarbonated samples. Carbonation converts flocculent C-S-H gel into CaCO3, refining the pore structure and reducing porosity by 28–34 %. Based on the TGA result difference inversion, a method for determining Ca(OH)2 and C-S-H contents in LCRC was proposed, revealing pre-carbonation contents of 17–37 % and 63–83 %, respectively. The maximum carbon uptake capacity reached 96.09 kg CO2/m3 of LCRC, highlighting its potential to support a low-carbon circular concrete industry
JWST/NIRSpec reveals the atmospheric driver of Saturn's variable magnetospheric rotation rate
Get PDFPast measurements of Saturn's upper atmosphere have allowed only a broad scale view of the temperature and ion density structures within the auroral region. However, Saturn's auroral currents include a planetary period current component that is produced by neutral atmospheric flows. In order to understand the ultimate source for Saturn's planetary period aurora, we need vastly improved measurements of Saturn's auroral region. Here, using the first JWST/NIRSpec observations of Saturn, we reveal incredibly high spatial resolution (500 km/pixel) views of Saturn's auroral region for the first time. This provides an at least an order-of-magnitude improvement in our measurement of the temperature and column density structure within Saturn's auroral region. It reveals an auroral region at the time of observation that is highly controlled by the planetary period currents, resulting in a series of upwards and downward currents from the pole to below the main auroral region. These are paired with reflected and inverted regions of heating and cooling across the auroral region. These patterns match surprisingly well to past model predictions, suggesting both the changes in column density and temperature are the direct result of localized heating positioned over the region of strongest particle precipitation. This strongly indicates that the planetary period currents are produced by a feedback loop, powered by the energy of magnetospherically generated aurora, preferentially heating one side of the auroral region
Influence of Hydrothermal Treatment on the Interaction of Active Components and Following COS + CS 2 Sulfation of Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP Catalyst for NH 3 ‐SCR Reaction
Get PDFHerein, the methods of co‐precipitation and hydrothermal treatment were proposed to regulate the promotional effect of COS + CS 2 sulfation on the NH 3 ‐SCR activity of Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x catalyst. The results indicated that the co‐precipitation method contributed to the formation of Ce‐Fe solid solution in Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP catalyst, but the further hydrothermal treatment depressed the incorporation of Fe 3+ into cubic fluorite CeO 2 , promoting the formation of Fe 2 O 3 crystals while decreasing the defective sites of catalyst. Furthermore, the different interaction of active components not only influenced the NH 3 ‐SCR activity of Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP and Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐HT catalysts but also regulated the sulfation of COS + CS 2 on the catalysts surface. The further hydrothermal treatment decreased the concentration of iron species but increased the concentration of cerium species on the Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP catalyst surface. COS + CS 2 sulfation increased the surface Ce 3+ /(Ce 3+ +Ce 4+ ) and Fe 2+ /(Fe 3+ +Fe 2+ ) molar ratios of Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐HT effectively but decreased the calculated corresponding values of Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP. Furthermore, Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐HT‐S exhibited larger deposited surface sulfate, stronger medium–strong acid sites, and more active oxygen than Ce 0.5 Fe 0.5 O x ‐CP‐S due to the better surface conversion of COS + CS 2
UK university teachers on inclusive education : conceptualizations, practices, opportunities and challenges
Get PDFDespite growing attention being paid to inclusive higher education in the UK and beyond, research with university teachers remains scarce. To address this gap, we interviewed 34 UK university teachers about their conceptualisations, practices, and experiences of the opportunities and challenges of inclusive education. In line with the consensus view amongst leading international organisations, interviewees conceptualised inclusive education in broad terms. They also reported having adopted many recognised good practices in inclusive education. In contrast to existing research which often problematises student diversity, respondents perceived it as an opportunity for developing inclusive teaching and assessment practices. However, they identified four key challenges to the provision of inclusive education which can inform institutional policies in the UK and beyond. The institution’s endorsement of a narrow view of inclusivity focused on disability was a paramount challenge. This suggests that institutions should promote a broader understanding of inclusivity. Workload was highlighted as another significant challenge, suggesting the need to explicitly recognise university teachers’ efforts to develop inclusive practices in workload allocations. The rigidity of approvals processes made the introduction of innovative assessment types slow and difficult. This highlights a need for greater flexibility in institutional approval processes. Finally, interviewees highlighted two issues related to inclusivity training–its relevance and the varying levels of participation among colleagues. These challenges could be addressed by making inclusive teaching part of professional development review processes as well as by offering discipline-specific sharing practice events
Potential drivers of fast growth in Paulownia
Get PDFSocietal Impact Statement: Trees in the genus Paulownia play a crucial role in sustainable forestry, rural economic development, and carbon mitigation due to their rapid growth, exceptional hardwood properties, and prominent carbon sequestration capacity. This review highlights the societal value of Paulownia trees and synthesizes several potential drivers of extraordinarily fast growth in these trees. These insights are valuable for maximizing Paulownia's potential for timber production and carbon sequestration, and they also provide a valuable model for studying mechanisms of rapid growth in hardwood trees. Summary: Paulownia is a genus of fast‐growing deciduous hardwood trees that are economically and ecologically important. Originally from East Asia, Paulownia are grown globally for their robust timber, agroforestry, and effective carbon dioxide drawdown, services that arise from their remarkably fast growth. Despite their clear value, the underlying drivers of fast growth in this genus remain poorly understood. Here, we review potential causes of fast growth in Paulownia and identify several potential adaptations, including photosynthetic metabolism, non‐foliar photosynthesis, tree habit, leaf structure, and hydraulic investment, that may contribute to fast growth in these trees. Our review highlights the paucity of evidence that would enable evaluation of these properties of Paulownia species and makes recommendations for future research needed to help explain drivers of fast growth in these important trees. In doing so, this review establishes a promising model system to study rapid growth in hardwood trees, their benefits to plantation cultivation, and potential for bioengineering
Matching your way to Success : The Influence of Motivational Frame Matching on Interaction Outcomes and Reciprocal Matching
Get PDFTheories of interpersonal sensemaking postulate that positive interactions emerge in interactions where speakers match on motivational frames. Across three experiments (N = 1609) using a hypothetical simulation framework, we provide the first evidence of a causal link between motivational frame matching and positive interaction outcomes in three intelligence‐gathering contexts. In all experiments, participants actively responded through instrumental, relational or identity motivational frames towards an investigative interviewer, rival sports supporter or HR representative, who did (did not) match them back. Results showed that within a competitive interaction, motivational frame matching consistently led to more positive interaction outcomes. Within a cooperative interaction, motivational frame matching led to more positive interaction outcomes for all measured variables (in the investigative interview) and greater feelings of being understood and a higher willingness to identify with the rival supporter, with limited positive effects in the HR interview. In all experiments, participants displayed more reciprocal matching when interacting with a matching versus a nonmatching interaction partner, and this translated into increased information provision in an adapted trust game where participants could send information in exchange for money
Jacob Marcaria : A Jewish Printer in Renaissance Italy
No full textThe paper examines Jacob Marcaria’s life and activity, a prominent figure in the Italian-Jewish Renaissance, best known for his Hebrew publishing activity in Riva del Garda. Moving beyond his contribution as a printer, which still deserves attention, the study explores Marcaria’s multifaceted identity as a member of the rabbinical court in Venice, physician, matchmaker, and intellectual personality of the time. Drawing on previously unpublished documents, the paper offers new insights into the cultural networks of 16th-century Italian Jewry. Marcaria’s life reveals significant interactions between Jewish and Christian elites and highlights broader dynamics of Jewish existence in northern Italy’s Venetian context
Habit, Medicine, and Society in 18th-Century Britain
Get PDFThis article examines the place of habit in the medical thought and practices of 18th-century Britain. Scholars, including Steven Shapin and Phil Withington, have shown that habit was important to the broadly humoral understandings of health, disease, and regimen that dominated in Europe for much of the early modern period. In this article, I offer the first sustained attempt to understand the role of habit in the medical thought of 18th-century Britain, focusing on the influential Scottish physician William Cullen. For the first time engaging with all of Cullen’s work on habit, including his correspondence, pathological lectures, and clinical lectures, I show that medics of the 18th century developed a new understanding of habit, linked to changing ideas about the nervous system. Increasingly, they emphasised the role that habit could play in causing the periodical return of bodily functions, even when there appeared to be no plausible physical cause. In so doing, medics engaged with one of the key debates of the 18th century – the contested notion that human nature itself might be contingent on social and environmental conditions. For them, habit provided the means by which society could quite literally change the body. These ideas come through clearly in the striking suggestion – hitherto unnoticed – that menstruation was the product of habit, arising not from nature but from culture. Discussions of menstruation reveal the political stakes of habit, with links to highly contested debates about the role that bodies of different genders might play in society