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Blinding birds, bartered bodies, and bestial betrothals:Exploring interspecies intersectionality in the Damascus Document and Book of Tobit
Get PDFIn Second Temple literature, nonhuman animals are hidden in plain sight—pervading the texts but rarely given attention in scholarship.1 In the Damascus Document and Book of Tobit, for example, we find birds who blind the protagonist; livestock whose bodies are bartered alongside slaves and women; and betrothed couples who are likened to beasts of burden. In each case, animals are implicated alongside marginalised humans in the societal power structures depicted in the texts. In this article, we will analyse these mutually-subordinated beings using a conceptual toolkit drawn from intersectional theory. We will begin by briefly explaining our approach before turning to the texts
Brexit as revelatory policy shock:What can we learn about international student mobility from changes in EU student mobility to the UK after Brexit?
Get PDFThe UK’s exit from the European Union in January 2020, following a referendum in 2016, represented a significant potential rupture to EU student mobility to the UK. When the UK was an EU member, EU students were entitled to identical treatment to UK domestic students in higher education, able to finance undergraduate and master's fees through UK student loans (or pay no fees in Scotland) and access doctoral funding. After Brexit, EU students were treated like any other international student and liable for upfront and very high tuition fees. This policy shock has the potential to significantly disrupt full-degree EU student mobility to the UK. Using a comprehensive dataset of all EU full-degree enrolments in UK higher education, 2007–2023, we investigate patterns of incoming EU student mobility to the UK before and after Brexit. We find the sharp disjuncture to have both overall and more particular effects. Looking at how the shock of Brexit plays out differently across sending countries, levels and fields of study and institutional destinations provides interesting revelations about how international student mobility operates
Research-practice partnerships in education:Benefits, challenges, methodological considerations and key enablers for change
Get PDFBackgroundResearch-practice partnerships reflect collaborations between researchers and practice-based professionals to co-produce new research knowledge and are often cited as one way to narrow the widely recognized gap between research and practice. Within the context of education, research-practice partnerships draw upon the knowledge, expertise and experience of researchers and practice professionals with the aim of co-producing methodologically robust and educationally relevant research aligned with priorities of practice. Over the last decade, this methodological approach has been gaining traction, yet it is not without its challenges and methodological considerations, which need to be understood and carefully navigated as this trajectory seems set to continue.AimsThis article reviewed the benefits, challenges and methodological considerations associated with research-practice partnerships, and proposes four key enablers—infrastructure, funding, training and incentives—for research-practice partnerships to be optimally introduced, embedded and sustained.MethodsDrawing upon the research literature and diverse examples of infrastructure, funding, training and incentives across different European contexts, specifically Sweden, Norway, Germany, England and Scotland, this article aimed to synthesize academic and real-world insights to advance knowledge and thinking in this area.ConclusionsThis article provides a contemporary account of key enablers that can initiate, develop, and sustain research-practice partnerships, drawing on insights from the research literature and illustrative examples of existing structures. In doing so, it aims to make a significant contribution to knowledge, thinking and potentially practice, as we work more collectively and productively together to reduce education inequalities and improve the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people
Imaging the photochemistry of cyclobutanone using ultrafast electron diffraction:Experimental results
Get PDFWe investigated the ultrafast structural dynamics of cyclobutanone following photoexcitation at λ = 200 nm using gas-phase megaelectronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction. Our investigation complements the simulation studies of the same process within this special issue. It provides information about both electronic state population and structural dynamics through well-separable inelastic and elastic electron scattering signatures. We observe the depopulation of the photoexcited S2 state of cyclobutanone with n3s Rydberg character through its inelastic electron scattering signature with a time constant of (0.29 ± 0.2) ps toward the S1 state. The S1 state population undergoes ring-opening via a Norrish Type-I reaction, likely while passing through a conical intersection with S0. The corresponding structural changes can be tracked by elastic electron scattering signatures. These changes appear with a delay of (0.14 ± 0.05) ps with respect to the initial photoexcitation, which is less than the S2 depopulation time constant. This behavior provides evidence for the ballistic nature of the ring-opening once the S1 state is reached. The resulting biradical species react further within (1.2 ± 0.2) ps via two rival fragmentation channels yielding ketene and ethylene, or propene and carbon monoxide. Our study showcases the value of both gas-phase ultrafast diffraction studies as an experimental benchmark for nonadiabatic dynamics simulation methods and the limits in the interpretation of such experimental data without comparison with such simulations.</p
Demography Integrated Surveillance for Health Assessment – Geriatric (DISHA-G):a rural cohort of older adults in Odisha, India
Get PDFWith an increasing number of older people across low and middle income countries such as India, longitudinal observational research is required to understand the processes of aging, care seeking behaviours and outcomes in such groups. As most of the older adults in such regions live in rural areas with limited resources, and with no such cohorts available to carry out such studies, we have establied a first of its kind geriatric rural cohort in eastern India. This study describes the profile of a large cohort of 18,389 rural older adults, aged 50 years or more, that was built within a Health, Demography and Environment Surveillance System (HDESS). The study primarily focuses on profiling older adults' sociodemographic and health characteristics, as well as their healthcare-seeking behavior patterns. We use exploratory regression analysis to understand factors influencing care-seeking preferences. We use R software packages for analysis and data management. The entire population of HDESS is 76,391 which has been establihed in 50 villages of Tigiria, Odisha state in eastern India, between 2021-2022. This cohort provides a valuable longitudinal platform for studying aging processes, chronic disease progression, and intervention implementation.Self-reported prevalence of chronic conditions and multimorbidity was 9.5%, with diabetes (10.6%) and hypertension (22.0%) the most common ones. Most rural older adults, irrespective of their wealth status, preferred public to private healthcare facilities (91%) for either mild illness, general care or emergency/severe illness. To reduce informal healthcare seeking behaviour (8.3%) of older adults in rural India, services need to be available, but social factors must also be addressed. The DISHA-G cohort provides a unique longitudinal platform to study aging and healthcare-seeking behaviors in rural India. Key findings reveal significant reliance on public healthcare and significant informal care-seeking, influenced by insurance coverage and socioeconomic status, highlighting barriers to formal care. Policy initiatives should focus on expanding health insurance coverage, improving accessibility to public healthcare, and addressing socioeconomic barriers to reduce reliance on informal care among rural older adults
Public Willingness to Participate in and Share Three-Dimensional (3D) Image Data from Orofacial Research: Results from a Preliminary Online Survey of Scottish Public Opinion
Get PDFBackground: Orofacial traits are influenced by a large number of loci; requiring large population-based studies for their detection. Public willingness to participate in and share three-dimensional (3D) image data from orofacial genetic research is essential to ensure feasible implementation of these studies. This preliminary study aims to explore the Scottish public’s willingness to participate in and share 3D image data from orofacial genetic research, providing baseline data for future research.Methods: The online survey was administered from the 14th June–14th July 2017. Multinomial logistic regression was used to test for association with willingness to participate in and share image data from orofacial genetic research, with baseline demographics and prior knowledge of orofacial research as covariates.Results: A total of 82 members of the Scottish public were recruited. The majority of respondents (83%) would participate in a research project that involves the collection of facial images. Of those who would participate, most (93%) would share their data outside of the UK. Fewer (3%) would only share their data within the UK. Education level and prior knowledge of the oral-systemic health relationship were associated with respondent’s willing ness to participate. Education level was also associated with respondent’s willingness to share image data.Conclusions: This preliminary study indicates a high level of willingness among the Scottish public to participate in and share data from orofacial genetic research. The findings suggest that education level and prior knowledge of oral-systemic health influence participation, highlighting the need for targeted public engagement in orofacial genetic research. These results lay the groundwork for larger, more diverse studies to further explore these associations
Fundus Refraction Offset as an Individualized Myopia Biomarker
Get PDFImportance As on-axis metrics, spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL) are limited in capturing individual-level differences in posterior segment anatomy.Objective To propose a fundus-level metric—fundus refraction offset (FRO)—and investigate its association with ocular parameters derived from optical coherence tomography (OCT).Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional, population-based study used data from 45 180 healthy eyes in the UK Biobank (2009-2010). Fundus photographs from a random subset (70%) were used to train a deep learning model to predict SER, with the goal of developing a model that learned to capture the nonpathological variations in fundus appearance from −15.50 D to 9.25 D. The trained model was applied to the remaining subset (internal unseen set) to derive FRO for each eye. FRO was also computed for an external dataset (the Caledonian cohort, 2023-2024) with enhanced depth imaging OCT and AL data for 152 right eyes. Data were analyzed from July to November 2024.Exposure FRO, defined as the error in fundus-predicted SER. A more negative FRO indicated a more myopic-looking fundus than typical for an eye with the same SER.Main Outcomes and Measures The association between FRO and macular thickness (MT) was tested using linear mixed-effects regression in the internal unseen set, controlling for SER, age, sex, and race. In the external dataset, the associations of FRO with choroidal area, choroidal vascularity index (CVI), and MT were examined using linear fixed-effects regression, controlling for SER (and subsequently AL) and other aforementioned covariates.Results High-quality OCT data were available from 9524 eyes in the internal unseen set and 152 eyes in the external dataset among individuals with a mean (SD) age of 54.5 (8.2) years and 19.3 (3.8) years, respectively. In the internal unseen set, a more negative FRO was independently associated with lower MT (β, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.37-0.90; P < .001). A similar association was observed in the external dataset—whether adjusted for SER (β, 2.45; 95% CI, 0.64-4.26; P = .008) or AL (β, 2.09; 95% CI, 0.28-3.91; P = .02). Additionally, CVI decreased as FRO became more negative—both in the SER-adjusted (β, 0.01; 95% CI, 0.01-0.02; P < .001) and AL-adjusted (β, 0.01, 95% CI, 0.004-0.02; P = .001) analyses.Conclusion and Relevance In this study, FRO reflected the individual-level mismatch between SER (or AL) and the anatomical severity of ametropia. This may have prognostic relevance for personalized risk prediction of myopia and its complications
A comprehensive review/expert statement on environmental risk factors of cardiovascular disease
Get PDFCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality globally, with over 20 million deaths each year. While traditional risk factors—such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and poor diet—are well-established, emerging evidence underscores the profound impact of environmental exposures on cardiovascular health. Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter, contributes to approximately 8.3 million deaths annually, with over half attributed to CVD. Similarly, noise pollution, heat extremes, toxic chemicals, and light pollution significantly increase the risk of CVD through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and circadian disruption. Recent translational and epidemiological studies show that chronic exposure to transport noise increases the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Air pollution, even below regulatory thresholds, promotes atherosclerosis, vascular dysfunction, and cardiac events. Novel threats such as micro- and nano-plastics are emerging as contributors to vascular injury and systemic inflammation. Climate change exacerbates these risks, with heatwaves and wildfires further compounding the cardiovascular burden, especially among vulnerable populations. The cumulative effects of these exposures—often interacting with behavioral and socioeconomic risk factors—are inadequately addressed in current prevention strategies. The exposome framework offers a comprehensive approach to integrating lifelong environmental exposures into cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention. Mitigation requires systemic interventions including stricter pollution standards, noise regulations, sustainable urban design, and green infrastructure. Addressing environmental determinants of CVD is essential for reducing the global disease burden. This review calls for urgent policy action and for integrating environmental health into clinical practice to safeguard cardiovascular health in the Anthropocene
Effect of idiosyncratic and relevant focus of attention strategies in explosive strength tasks:An exploratory study
No full textPurpose: Focus of attention (FOA) research typically supports an external focus (EF) over internal focus (IF) for motor learning and performance. However, task-specific factors, such as athletes’ techniques and training goals, may influence FOA efficacy. This study compared the effects of FOA strategies—Idiosyncratic Core Component (ICC), EF, and IF—on explosive isometric back squats (EIBS) and squat jumps (SJ) in skilled basketball athletes. Methods: Eighteen elite basketball players performed three trials of EIBS and SJ under each FOA condition. Force peak (Fp), impulse (Im), and mean rate of force development (mRFD) were assessed using a force plate. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and perceived emotional state (PES) were also recorded. Results: ICC significantly enhanced mRFD during EIBS compared to EF (p = .014) and IF (p = .015), with no difference between EF and IF. FOA did not significantly affect Fp or Im during EIBS. In SJ, FOA strategies had no significant effects on mRFD, Fp, or Im. RPE and PES scores remained consistent across conditions. Conclusions: ICC improved explosive strength during EIBS, highlighting the benefit of individualized FOA strategies for tasks >200 ms in duration. However, FOA showed limited impact on SJ performance metrics, possibly due to the task’s shorter duration. Strength and conditioning coaches should tailor FOA strategies to specific tasks and outcomes, using ICC to optimize explosive strength in longer-duration tasks
An Assessment of Anion Exchange Membranes for CO2 Capture Processes::A Focus on Fumasep® and Sustainion®
No full textAnion exchange membranes are utilised in cutting-edge energy technologies including electrolysers and fuel cells. Recently, these membranes have also emerged as a promising tool in CO2 capture techniques, such as moisture-driven direct air capture and the separation of CO2 from other gases, leveraging the moisture-induced sorption/desorption and diffusion of CO2 in its ionic forms. In this study, we examine the absorption and permeation of CO2 and CH4 in two commercially available anion exchange membranes, Fumasep® and Sustainion®, under dry conditions. With the exception of CO2 sorption in Fumasep®, these measurements have not been previously reported. These new data points are crucial for evaluating the fundamental separation capabilities of these materials and for devising innovative CO2 capture strategies, as well as for the simulation of novel combined processes. In a dry state, both materials demonstrate similar CO2 absorption levels, with a higher value for Sustainion®. The CO2 solubility coefficient decreases with pressure, as is typical for glassy polymers. Fumasep® exhibits higher CO2/CH4 ideal solubility selectivity, equal to ~10 at sub-ambient pressures, and higher diffusivity. The CO2 diffusion coefficient increases with the CO2 concentration in both membranes due to swelling of the matrix, varying between 0.7 and 2.2 × 10−8 cm2/s for Fumasep® and between 1.6 and 9.0 × 10−9 cm2/s for Sustainion®. CO2 permeability exhibits a minimum at a pressure of approximately 2–3 bar. The CO2 permeability in the dry state is higher in Fumasep® than in Sustainion®: 3.43 and 0.72 Barrer at a 2-bar transmembrane pressure, respectively. The estimated perm-selectivity was found to reach values of up to 40 at sub-ambient pressures. The CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 estimated perm-selectivity in both polymers are of a similar order of magnitude to those measured in fluorinated ion exchange membranes such as Nafion®
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