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Economic evaluation of caregiver interventions for children with developmental disabilities: A scoping review
Get PDFDemographics of Lipoprotein(a) and Stroke: The UK Biobank
Get PDFIntroductionLipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with ischemic stroke, but the strength of association based on demographic differences remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between Lp(a)>125 nmol/L and stroke by age, sex, and racial/ethnic subgroups.MethodsUsing data from the UK Biobank, we included 353,309 participants with an Lp(a) measurement without a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Stroke was defined as ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke (with subtypes subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage). Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between elevated Lp(a) and stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), adjusted for ASCVD risk factors, race/ethnicity, lipid lowering therapy, antiplatelet and anticoagulation medications. Outcomes were defined using ICD-10 codes.ResultsThe study population consisted of 55.7 % women and 94 % White individuals with average age of 56 years. The median Lp(a) level was 20.9 [IQR 9.5, 61.4] nmol/L and prevalence of Lp(a) >125 nmol/L was 11.1 % (n = 39,067). Over a median follow-up of 13.8 [13.1, 14.5] years, there were 5002 (1.4 %) ischemic strokes and 1462 (0.4 %) hemorrhagic strokes. Lp(a) > 125 nmol/L was associated with increased risk for ischemic stroke (HR 1.12, 95 % CI 1.02–1.22, P = 0.019), but not hemorrhagic stroke (HR 0.95, 95 % CI 0.79–1.13, P = 0.545). The association between Lp(a)>125 nmol/L and ischemic stroke did not vary by age (p-interaction=0.691) or race/ethnicity (p-interaction 0.526) but did vary by sex (p-interaction=0.041) with an association among men (HR 1.20, 95 % CI 1.07–1.36) but not among women.ConclusionLp(a) is independently associated with ischemic stroke, with variation by sex but not age or race/ethnicity. Lp(a) was not significantly associated with hemorrhagic stroke.<br/
Exploring the connection between pet attachment and owner mental health:The roles of owner-pet compatibility, perceived pet welfare, and behavioral issues
Get PDFResearch exploring the connection between pet ownership and mental health has expanded substantially in recent years, yet scientific evidence remains inconclusive. Existing studies have oversimplified this relationship by focusing primarily on pet ownership itself, without accounting for crucial factors such as species of the pet, or important relationship dynamics such as owner-pet attachment orientations. This study sought to investigate whether the relationship between owner-pet attachment and owner mental health could be better understood through the lens of owner-perceived pet compatibility, perceived pet welfare, and pet behavioral issues. These under researched aspects are believed to play crucial roles in shaping owner-pet relationships and owner mental well-being. This study surveyed emerging adults (ages 18–26) who owned dogs and/or cats from the United Kingdom (N = 600) who self-identified as experiencing difficulties with anxiety and/or low mood, of whom some reported clinical diagnoses. Our findings revealed that dog owners exhibited more secure pet attachments than cat owners. Anxious attachment was associated with poorer mental health among dog owners, while avoidant attachment was associated with better mental health in both dog and cat owners. Insecure attachment related to poorer perceived pet quality of life, increased reports of pet behavioral problems, and poorer owner-pet compatibility, regardless of pet species. Additionally, poorer welfare and more behavioral problems were associated with poorer mental health for dog owners; these findings were not replicated for cat owners. Notably, a dog’s mental state (such as appearing depressed), as well as fear and anxiety, mediated the relationship between owner-pet attachment and owner mental health. Owner-dog compatibility, particularly in the affection domain, positively mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and poorer mental health, while negatively mediating the relationship between avoidant attachment and better mental health. These findings suggest that a simplistic view of pet ownership fails to capture the complexity of the factors that shape the mental health of pet owners and underscores the need to consider important owner-pet factors to fully understand how the human-pet relationship can impact the well-being of both people and their pets
Undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in rural African adults:A scoping review of primary health care interventions and development of the CO-HEART Framework
Get PDFNon-communicable diseases, driven by cardiovascular conditions and hypertension, account for 75% of global deaths. Hypertension affects 36% of adults in Africa, exceeding the global average of 33%. Rural areas show lower diagnosis and control rates, increasing risks of stroke and early mortality. Evidence of primary health care (PHC) interventions for hypertension in these regions are limited. This scoping review analysed data from seven databases to examine hypertension-focused PHC interventions in rural Africa. Guided by the TIDieR checklist, interventions were mapped across the hypertension care cascade to develop an implementation framework. Thirty-two publications were included, revealing limited use of explicit programme theories, inconsistent outcome reporting and poor fidelity assessment. Only a few studies involved community members or health care providers in co-design. Decentralized PHC management featured in 41% of studies, with 79% adopting a nurse-management model supported by community health workers. Fewer than two-thirds addressed all stages of the hypertension care cascade. Findings underscore the promise of decentralized, nurse-led, team-based models for hypertension control Future interventions should embed clear programme theories, standardized outcomes, co-production, and strong monitoring and evaluation systems. This resulting framework supports PHC teams in implementing hypertension services from screening through long-term control in rural African contexts.</p
Visualizing the Three-Dimensional Arrangement of Hydrogen Atoms in Organic Molecules by Coulomb Explosion Imaging
Get PDFStructure-sensitive methods based on femtosecond light or electron pulses are now making it possible to measure how molecular structures change during light-induced processes. Despite significant progress, high-fidelity imaging of nuclear positions remains a challenge even for relatively small molecular systems and, notably, regarding the positions of hydrogen atoms. As demonstrated in recent work, X-ray-induced Coulomb explosion imaging (CEI) may overcome this obstacle, as its sensitivity does not depend on the mass of the imaged atoms. The photoinduced ring opening of the heterocyclic molecule 2(5H)-thiophenone has attracted recent interest. Here, we show that CEI offers a powerful route to imaging the peripheral H atoms in this molecule and thus, more generally, to tracking detailed nuclear motions (e.g., isomerizations) in organic molecules on ultrafast time scales. Specifically, we record momentum-space Coulomb explosion images that report on the three-dimensional positioning of all nuclei within the molecule, for instance, distinguishing H atoms in C–H bonds that lie within or are directed out of the plane defined by the heavy atoms. The prospect of imaging peripheral H atoms to probe photochemical dynamics is explored by coupling ab initio molecular dynamics with classical Coulomb explosion simulations, thereby differentiating potential photoproduct isomers, including those whose structures primarily differ in the position of the hydrogens
A 400-k.y. perspective on arc volcanism: An exceptional explosive eruption record from Central Mexico
Get PDFVolcanic eruption records provide key information for hazard planning but suffer from a time-dependent loss of resolution, hindering long-term evaluations of volcano behavior. Here, we investigate an exceptional sedimentary sequence from Lake Chalco, on the SE edge of Mexico City, which provides a perspective on volcanic activity over hundred-thousand-year time scales, and we develop a methodological and analytical protocol applicable to core datasets globally. The lava-dominated base of the sequence (∼105 m) is followed by ∼155 m of lateral-collapse derived deposits and overlain by ∼295 m of lacustrine sediments containing at least 450 visible tephra fall deposits (TFDs), spanning 400 k.y. These TFDs include 205 events sourced from large-magnitude (predominantly volcanic explosivity index [VEI] ≥5) silicic explosive eruptions, principally from regional polygenetic sources, and 205 deposits from the nearby Sierra Chichinautzin volcanic field (SCVF). A gradual decline in both frequency and apparent magnitude in the silicic eruption record is consistent with the gradual migration of volcanism south along the adjacent Sierra Nevada volcanic range, toward Popocatépetl. In contrast, the SCVF-derived deposits imply persistent but episodic activity, on time scales of 40−70 k.y., suggesting that the SCVF has been more continuously active than previously recognized. Decoupled trends between the SCVF and regional silicic sources implies that the total magmatic flux is not dictated at the arc scale, or by external (e.g., climatic) drivers, but instead reflects the independent development of individual volcanic systems. The records indicate a minimum long-term frequency of impactful eruptions on Mexico City to be one per 900 years (>1 cm tephra deposited) or 9000 years (≥10 cm tephra)
Contested compliance of obligations under international law:A take from Global Constitutionalism
Get PDFTaking Global Constitutionalism as an agora, a platform for international interdisciplinary discussions this article asks a question about the state we are in with regard to the international order as an order that is not just a 'rule-based order' but also more substantially, a 'legal order' based on the rule of law. The topic is illustrated with reference to examples of 'contested compliance' i.e. objections to implementing international law and/or international rulings by international actors on behalf of signatories of states parties of a treaty. Three questions guide this discussion. The first is a question of normative change: are we facing a change regarding United Nations member states' respect for and handling of the rule of law, or is a larger change of international law itself imminent? The second is a question about the effects of the shift from 'normal' contestations of norms to 'deep' contestations of the international order itself. And the third is a question about pluralism and diversity: are the UN Charter Order's institutions, conventions and organisations sufficiently equipped to respond to an ever more diverse range of internationally, transnationally, and sub-nationally raised justice-claims? The article elaborates on each of the three themes in light of the current situation of contested compliance with obligations under international law.</p
Supreme histories and brittle democracies:Courts, law, and contested regimes of historicity
Get PDFIn the introduction to this special issue, we explore the role of courts in the production of competing regimes of historicity and examine what political formations and social contestations are generated in the process. Drawing on theoretical debates in anthropology, socio-legal studies and history, we analyse how the unique spacetime of liberal law obscures the historical contingency of legal processes and judgements. We propose that the perceived a-historicity of the liberal legal form can render courts privileged sites for the pursuit of rival claims to political sovereignty. By embedding their historical interpretations within legal rules and procedures, states and political interest groups can make powerful claims about who legitimately belongs to a nation, and whose historical narrations should be validated as true. We analyse historicity as a fundamentally political concept that illuminates how the histories of nations and peoples are reproduced and contested in courtrooms as part of conflicting bids for political supremacy
'All is Rhythm':[Review of] Rhythmical Subjects: The Measures of the Modern by Laura Marcus (Oxford University Press, 2024) and Dancing with the Modernist City: Metropolitan Dance Texts around 1900 by Wesley Lim (University of Michigan Press, 2025)
Get PDFThe role of semantics and phonology in bilingual picture naming:Evidence from the phono-translation effect
Get PDFTo what extent do bilinguals activate information associated with the language that they are not currently using? To address this, we conducted three large-scale picture–word interference experiments involving highly proficient Chinese–English bilinguals in English-only (Experiment 1, one-language context) and mixed English–Chinese (Experiment 2, two-language context) settings and a control experiment involving monolingual English speakers (Experiment 3). In all experiments, participants named pictures in English while ignoring English auditory distractors that were phonologically related to the Chinese translations of the picture names (phono-translation distractors). Chinese–English bilinguals in both the one-language and two-language contexts were quicker to name pictures when just preceded by phono-translation than unrelated distractors, but no such facilitation was observed for monolingual English participants. In all experiments, participants showed inhibition for semantically related distractors and facilitation for phonologically related distractors. Taken together, our findings suggest that words from the nontarget language can be activated even when that language is irrelevant to the task, but the activated nontarget candidates do not compete for lexical selection
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