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Microplastic emissions and degradation mechanisms in artificial turf systems – analytical detection, and future directions
No full textThe environmental impact of artificial turf systems is receiving increasing attention, particularly in relation to the release of microplastics. Here, our aim is to review recent studies on microplastic emissions from artificial sports fields, with an emphasis on environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation, temperature fluctuations, rain, and mechanical wear, which all contribute to the fragmentation of synthetic fibres and infills. This study also reviews the leaching of toxic chemicals and microplastics sources in the artificial turfs. We summarise and discuss various analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, employed to detect and quantify the release of microplastics and different contaminants from artificial turf to the environment. We identify significant gaps in current research, specifically determining degradation rates of artificial turf, and the detection and release characterisation of harmful substances like microplastics, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from it. We highlight a need for further standardised methods, comprehensive long-term and accelerated studies to accurately assess the full ecological impact of microplastic release fromartificial turf systems.</p
Imagining futures in the present: conceptualising prefigurative impulses through the politics of organising
No full textThis chapter invites reflections on how organising adjacent to everyday work can support the emergence of transformative ideas and sow seeds of organisational and societal change. It does so by connecting with the spatial aspects of prefigurative politics that manifest as the organising of processes, networks, and spaces in the present. This organising enables individuals to support one another in radical ways while embracing improvisation. Drawing on empirical material from a transdisciplinary research project, the chapter introduces a type of interstitial space termed as extra-work events that are organised adjacent to regular work activities. These spaces foster interaction among organisational actors and integrate visions of the future with organisational processes in less hierarchical settings allowing for the collective imagination to emerge as an active conceptual process. The imaginings are traced as a response to pressure or unsustainability in current conditions and are conceptualised as prefigurative impulses in organisational contexts.</p
The role of verbal working memory load on number order processing: evidence from an articulatory suppression paradigm.
No full textAlthough number order processing has received increasing research attention due to its association with arithmetic skills, its underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unclear. It has been suggested that highly familiar sequences (e.g., 1–2-3, 2–4-6) are processed faster because they are retrieved from memory. However, the involvement of verbal memory retrieval has not been directly tested and is usually inferred indirectly from participants' response times. In this study, participants completed an order verification task standalone and under verbal working memory load involving articulatory suppression, where participants repeated the syllables “pa-ta-ka” throughout the task. Participants also completed arithmetic production and verification tasks to evaluate the association between order processing and arithmetic. As expected, verbal working memory load increased response times, but this effect was stronger for consecutive than non-consecutive sequences, rather than for familiar versus unfamiliar ones as initially hypothesised. This pattern suggests that articulatory suppression may disrupt sub-vocal routines such as internal counting, which may be more prominent in consecutive sequences compared to non-consecutive, although familiar, sequences. Nevertheless, a robust familiarity effect was observed overall, with familiar sequences processed faster than unfamiliar ones. These findings point to a general involvement of verbal working memory in number order processing, particularly in relation to sequences that align with common counting routines. Finally, order verification performance was more strongly associated with arithmetic production for small problems—likely reflecting greater reliance on memory retrieval—and showed trends toward stronger associations with arithmetic verification and familiar sequences.</p
BriDe Arbitrager: enhancing arbitrage in Ethereum 2.0 via bribery-enabled delayed block production
No full textThe advent of Ethereum 2.0 has introduced significant changes, particularly the shift to Proof-of-Stake consensus. This change presents new opportunities and challenges for arbitrage. Amidst these changes, we introduce BriDe Arbitrager, a novel tool designed for Ethereum 2.0 that leverages Briberydriven attacks to Delay block production and increase arbitrage gains. The main idea is to allow malicious proposers to delay block production by bribing validators/proposers, thereby gaining more time to identify arbitrage opportunities. Through analysing the bribery process, we design an adaptive bribery strategy. Additionally, we propose a Delayed Transaction Ordering Algorithm to leverage the delayed time to amplify arbitrage profits for malicious proposers. To ensure fairness and automate the bribery process, we design and implement a bribery smart contract and a bribery client. As a result, BriDe Arbitrager enables adversaries controlling a limited (</p
Systematic review of prognostic value of cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with cirrhosis.
No full textBackgroundCirrhosis is associated with significant risk of comorbidity and early mortality. Low physical function is common in patients with cirrhosis and could predict prognosis. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), determined by maximal exercise with gas exchange measurement, has proven to predict the risk of mortality and disability in other chronic diseases. In patients with cirrhosis, it could help to inform prognostic stratification to improve care and management in clinical practice. This systematic review aims to determine the association between CRF (VO2Peak, percentage of predicted VO2Peak, Anaerobic Threshold (AT)) and mortality prediction, as well as morbidity prediction in cirrhosis.MethodsWe reviewed the main electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar) for all relevant literature running up to April 2024. Two independent researchers applied predefined inclusion criteria to assess articles for eligibility, and ultimately included 15 studies (seven studied mortality alone, six morbidity alone and two both).ResultsEight out of nine studies reported CRF variables as a predictor of mortality, and eight studies found that CRF predicted occurrence of events associated with morbidity (sepsis, length of hospital stay and length of stay in critical care). VO2Peak below 17 mL.min-1.kg-1 (5 METS) is an independent predictor of mortality and morbidity. AT can be reached by the large majority of patients with cirrhosis after a moderate-intensity physical exercise, lasts 15 minutes, can be repeated and could be the best choice. AT inferior to 9 ml.min-1.kg-1 or 2.5 METS (metabolic-equivalent tasks defined as the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest) can predict mortality risk and 10 ml.min-1.kg-1 (3 METS) the sepsis risk.ConclusionsVO2Peak below 17 mL.min-1.kg-1 (5 METS) or an AT under 9 mL.min-1.kg-1 (2.5METS), consistently indicate worse outcomes. Assessing CRF could help to improve mortality and morbidity prediction and AT seems to be the best tool to predict the prognosis in patients with cirrhosis.</p
Pluralistic research designs in management and organization studies: integrating paradigms through structural and anti-structural frameworks.
No full textThis paper focuses on pluralistic research designs in management and organization studies. While advocates often present such approaches as a means of reconciling practical relevance with scientific rigour, their philosophical coherence remains underexplored, particularly in relation to the paradigm debates of the 1980s and 1990s. Our analysis reveals that contemporary pluralistic strategies frequently adopt implicit forms of paradigm integration grounded within a predominately structuralist framework. In contrast, multiparadigm strategies that emphasize interplay also involve paradigm integration but operate within an anti-structuralist framework. Pluralistic research designs resolve incommensurability by subsuming difference into either structuralism or anti-structuralism at the substantive level. At the metatheoretical level, scholars therefore confront a dualistic choice between coexisting modes of integration. By conceptualizing pluralistic research designs as particular forms of paradigm integration, we show how it is possible to move beyond the perceived trade-off between scientific rigour and practical relevance. This approach preserves philosophical coherence while expanding explanatory scope through the translation and incorporation of diverse conceptual resources.</p
Pilkington Library Sensory Map & Visual Story Report
No full textThis report outlines the development of Pilkington Library's Sensory Map and Visual Story, created in response to user and staff feedback highlighting the need for sensory guidance around the library to mitigate anxieties and potential access barriers.© the authors</p
Dementia and hearing loss: from risk to mechanisms and management
No full textHearing loss in midlife is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of dementia. Research examining the association between dementia and hearing loss has expanded rapidly; however, evidence for the mechanisms linking the two conditions is inconclusive, limiting the development of targeted interventions. This review provides a critical overview of current evidence on dementia risk in relation to hearing loss, proposed mechanisms underpinning this association, and emerging evidence on the effectiveness of hearing interventions in modifying trajectories of cognitive decline, dementia risk, and disease progression. Alongside its role as a risk factor, hearing loss commonly co-occurs with dementia, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to care that address the considerable impact of these co-morbid conditions on individuals and communities. Finally, we emphasise the importance of including diverse populations in future research to improve generalisability of findings and help advance equity in dementia prevention and care.</p
“Smashing through barriers”? A multimodal critical discourse analysis of media representations of hearing loss and D/deafness
No full textHearing loss (HL) is a prevalent condition that can substantially impact quality of life. Hearing aids can benefit people living with HL, yet many delay seeking treatment. This may be due to limited public awareness of HL and the stigma surrounding HL and hearing aids. The media can significantly shape public perceptions of HL and D/deafness, and there have been calls for improved media portrayals of HL and D/deafness. This study examined how British newspapers represent HL and D/deafness both visually and textually, and whether these representations reiterate and/or challenge stigma. This qualitative study used multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) guided by stigma theory and the Visual Discourses of Disability framework. Public contributors living with HL or D/deafness were consulted. A Nexis database search retrieved 7,173 articles about HL or D/deafness from 2022–2023. A random sample, extracted from the 200 most relevant articles, was screened. Three key themes were identified: (1) representing social progress, including technological advancements and societal roles for people with HL or D/deaf people, (2) the lack of diverse narratives and perspectives, including the absence of older adults, and (3) the stigma and social barriers associated with living in a hearing-orientated world, including tensions regarding whether HL should be (in)visible. Combined, this suggests that the overall social progress narrative is challenged by continued stigmatisation and inadequate diversity. This research was a novel application of MCDA to representations of HL and D/deafness, which focused on British newspapers. Further efforts are needed to improve these representations, particularly representations of older adults. Future research should apply MCDA to representations of HL and D/deafness in other contexts. The findings have important implications for academics in discourse and disability studies, and for all those who communicate with the public about hearing loss, including researchers, clinicians, public health officials, charities, and the media.</p
Art world creation in Saudi Arabia: from the 1960s to Vision 2030
No full textArt world creation in Saudi Arabia: from the 1960s to Vision 2030</p