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The Longitudinal Impact of Psychosocial Factors on Cognition and Hearing in Younger and Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Full text linkPurpose: In March 2020, a unique situation unfolded wherein the U.K. government announced social restriction measures to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Various measures remained in place until April 2021, with older adults, who were considered clinically vulnerable, being placed under stricter restrictions. This study aimed to determine the effect of psychosocial factors, including loneliness, depression, and engagement in various recreational lifestyle activities, on hearing and cognitive function in younger and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: One hundred twelve older adults aged 60–82 ( M = 70.08, SD = 5.89) years and 121 younger adults aged 18–29 ( M = 20.52, SD = 2.63) years participated online between June 2020 and February 2022. Participants completed questionnaires assessing loneliness, depression, auditory and lifestyle engagement, and hearing ability, as well as behavioral tasks assessing auditory function and global cognition. All measures were completed 12 times at 4-week intervals. Results: Linear mixed-effects analyses found that, of the variables examined, increased loneliness was significantly associated with poorer auditory function. There were no main effects of time during the pandemic on auditory or cognitive outcomes. However, the interaction between time and age group significantly affected global cognition; in younger adults, global cognition decreased over time, whereas older adults displayed an unexpected positive change. Conclusions: These data show that there are associations between loneliness and auditory function but provide a lack of support for the impact of time experiencing auditory deprivation, or other psychosocial factors, on hearing and cognitive function. Such observations may be underpinned by motivational differences, learning effects, or sample biases. Future research may wish to investigate these factors further, to determine how psychological factors such as loneliness affect hearing and cognitive processes across diverse participant groups
National Hydrogen Strategies and Their Role on the Design of Clean Hydrogen Supply Chains
No full textThe transition to a sustainable energy system depends on the development of efficient hydrogen supply chains (HSCs) capable of meeting the rising demand for clean hydrogen. National hydrogen strategies play a pivotal role in shaping these supply chains by defining technological pathways, regulatory frameworks, and market incentives. This study analyses the strategies of seven leading countries – Australia, Germany, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France – to identify the key elements influencing HSC design. A systematic literature review complements the policy analysis by linking these elements to academic perspectives in business and management research. The findings reveal that countries adopt distinct strategic positions based on their resource endowments, industrial capabilities, and geopolitical goals, resulting in varied configurations of hydrogen supply systems. The study also identifies common global drivers and barriers, including cost challenges, infrastructure gaps, and policy alignment. Based on these insights, we propose a conceptual framework that connects national strategic positioning to supply chain design and outline a typology of HSC configurations across country roles. This research contributes to the understanding of hydrogen strategy implementation and offers a research agenda to guide future studies in hydrogen supply chain management and policy design within the global energy transition
Assessing text experience in British primary school children: New validated title and author recognition tests
No full textBecoming a skilled reader requires that children accumulate extensive experience with text through independent reading. Research shows that greater text experience is associated with stronger reading skills, better comprehension, and improved spelling, and, consequently, higher reading motivation. Reliable objective measures of children’s reading experience are therefore essential; however, because such measures are typically highly sensitive to temporal and cultural contexts, none of the existing tests are suitable for capturing the reading experience of British children today. We address this gap by introducing a new Author Recognition Test (ART) and Title Recognition Test (TRT) designed specifically for primary school children in the United Kingdom and validated with a large cohort of British pupils. The battery also includes a new multiple-choice spelling test that can be easily administered online. We further demonstrate that single-word reading and sentence reading efficiency tests from the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR) can be adapted for use with British children and provide valid measures of reading proficiency. Together, these tools offer a much-needed, freely available resource for both researchers and practitioners, enabling reliable measurement of children’s text experience and basic literacy skills. The test battery is openly available on https://osf.io/gmv72/
Breathing-Driven Modulation of Reticulospinal Tract Activity
Full text linkBreathing rhythms influence brain activity, but whether they modulate the excitability of the reticulospinal tract (RST; a key pathway for motor control and recovery after stroke) remains unknown. In this study, we used the StartReact paradigm to examine how respiratory rhythms modulate RST excitability during motor tasks, measuring reaction times across visual, visual–auditory and visual–auditory startling conditions in three arm muscles (first dorsal interosseous, flexor digitorum superficialis and biceps) of healthy adults (n = 13). Reaction times decreased significantly from visual to visual–auditory to visual–auditory startling conditions. Crucially, respiratory-phase transitions, particularly from inspiration to expiration, significantly enhanced RST excitability specifically during startle-evoked responses, with StartReact effects being significantly stronger during respiratory transitions compared with mid-phases (P ≤ 0.011). These findings suggest that respiratory rhythms modulate RST excitability dynamically in a phase- and condition-specific manner. The identification of respiratory transition phases as optimal periods for RST activation could inform new neurorehabilitation strategies, such as respiratory-phase-aligned stimulation, to enhance motor recovery following corticospinal lesions
From symbolic violence to structural exclusion: The multidimensional nature of Islamophobia in Europe
Full text linkAmid growing concerns over rising religious tensions and anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe, this study develops and validates a robust Islamophobia Index to systematically measure experiences of discrimination among Muslim communities. Leveraging survey data from 3598 respondents (including 466 Muslims) across Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Italy, confirmatory factor analysis validated a three-factor structure for the Islamophobia Index, comprising Experiential Violence, Perceived Negativity, and Global Event Impacts. The index demonstrated metric invariance across Belgium, Germany, and Spain (N = 444 analysis sample), supporting its utility for cross-national comparisons. Regression analyses indicate systemic exclusion; perceived global event impacts emerged as a significant statistical predictor of both experiential violence and perceived negativity. Experiences were also found to vary with demographic factors such as age and income in certain models. While specific hypothesised intersectional effects (e.g., gender with religious identification) were not statistically significant in the tested models, the research illustrates the value of considering compounded vulnerabilities. The validated three-factor Islamophobia Index provides a nuanced quantitative measure capable of capturing both overt prejudice and perceptions of structural discrimination. By bridging critical theory with empirical rigour, this research points to the need for transnational, intersectional policy frameworks to dismantle institutionalised religious marginalisation and foster inclusive societies across Europe
Quantifying the impact of raindrop dynamics on soil erosion in grass–shrub slopes: theoretical, experimental, and modeling perspectives
No full textRaindrop impact and overland flow scouring are primary drivers of slope soil erosion, while vegetation cover plays a crucial role in mitigating these erosive forces. However, limited understanding of the dynamic interactions between vegetation and rainfall processes hampers the advancement of process-based erosion models. To systematically investigate the combined effects of vegetation composition and rainfall characteristics on erosion dynamics, a total of 495 controlled rainfall simulations were conducted using runoff plots with 33 distinct grass–shrub cover ratios (shrub cover: 0–70 %; grass cover: 0–70 %), across five rainfall intensities (I) (60–120 mm h−1) and three slope gradients (θ) (5°–15°). The results demonstrated that mixed grass–shrub communities significantly enhanced the regulation of runoff and erosion compared to single-species covers. Specifically, under mild slope and rainfall conditions (θ = 5°, I = 60 mm h−1), the grass–shrub combinations reduced the runoff rate by 22–26 % and the erosion rate by 26–40 %, thereby demonstrating their practical significance for soil conservation. To further elucidate the mechanistic basis of erosion processes, a theoretical model was developed to quantify raindrop impact force (FR), revealing a power-law relationship with the erosion rate (ER) (adjusted R2 = 0.627–0.995). Building on this, an erosion prediction model was formulated that integrates vegetation cover, raindrop impact (FR), and stream power (ω). The model was subjected to error and sensitivity analyses, and the evaluation metrics demonstrated strong performance across datasets (adjusted R2 > 0.80; Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, NSE > 0.65), surpassing the predictive capability of the widely applied WEPP model (adjusted R2 = 0.276; NSE = −0.153). While the model shows high accuracy and generalizability within experimental conditions, parameter recalibration is recommended for applications beyond the tested domain. These findings contribute to a deeper mechanistic understanding of vegetation–rainfall–erosion interactions and offer a novel framework for improving the fidelity of process-based soil erosion modeling
Self-feeding and Communicative Development From 12 to 24 Months of Age: An Observational Study
No full textThis study examined the relations between independent eating and communicative development, both concurrently and longitudinally, using observational methods. In total, 182 Italian mother-infant pairs (Mage = 12.33; 48% females; 100% White) participated from 2020 to 2023. Infants’ gestures, vocalizations, and self-feeding episodes were coded during mealtimes at 12 months. Mothers reported on language development at 12, 18, and 24 months. Self-feeding was concurrently and positively associated with infants’ deictic gestures and simple vocalizations during the meal. Notably, self-feeding at 12 months was positively related to sentence production reported by mothers at 24 months (but not to parent-reported vocabulary size at 12, 18, or 24 months). The results suggest potential language benefits from allowing infants an active role during the mealtime
Harnessing biotechnology for sustainable metal valorization from solar panel waste
Full text linkRapid expansion of the renewable energy sector has generated a growing stream of discarded solar panels, posing a formidable environmental challenge in our environmentally conscious world. Bioleaching, a process involving various microbe-enzyme mediated techniques, is emerging as a transformative approach for valorizing solar panel waste into valuable resources. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of enzyme- and microbe-driven bioleaching techniques for extracting various elements such as copper or aluminum, from solar panels, incorporating the latest research findings spanning the last decade. Particular attention is given to the removal of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) resins, a common solar panel component, along with a detailed table of biopolymers used in selective and non-selective metal recovery, highlighting their principles, advantages, and disadvantages. This synthesis aims to illuminate the evolving landscape of bioleaching technologies and their pivotal role in promoting sustainable solar panel recycling
'The ultimate violation’: a linguistic taxonomy for rape euphemisms in courtroom discourse
Full text linkThis paper presents a new taxonomy for classifying rape euphemisms and demonstrates its application through a study that systematically analysed closing arguments in four rape trials. In the study, all references to the rape in question were classified into four categories: 1) euphemistic, neutral, 2) euphemistic, sexual, 3) euphemistic, violent and 4) orthophemistic, violent. The findings showed that closing arguments contain many euphemistic references to rape, despite the fact that unambiguous, direct language is preferable in courtroom discourse. Furthermore, the following themes emerged in the lawyers’ euphemistic language: 1) rape testimony framed as a narrative, 2) sexual connotations in official legal charges, 3) highlighting the victim’s perspective and 4) conflating rape and sex. The study highlighted a need for sensitising the language of closing arguments to prevent retraumatising the rape victims and demonstrates how the proposed taxonomy can support future research on rape euphemisms and potentially other ‘taboo’ dicourse contexts
A cross-entropy based direct policy search algorithm for multi-objective energy storage control
Full text linkEffective control of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) is crucial for the secure and profitable operation of microgrids. In this context, ESSs are essential for enhancing the overall grid resilience, balancing supply, and mitigating voltage and frequency variations. This paper presents a novel neuroevolutionary method, coupling a modified version of the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Policy Search (MEPS) algorithm with the Cross-Entropy method, aimed at optimizing an ESS control problem. The modified MEPS, named Cascade-MEPS, employs a cascade weights mutation operator to refine policies by focusing on the most recent hidden node, ensuring localized and non-disruptive adjustments. The resulting algorithm, referred to as cross-entropy Cascade-MEPS (CE-CMEPS), utilizes the cross-entropy method as a depth initialization strategy, conducting an initial exploration of the weights space to initialize the population prior to Cascade-MEPS execution. Experimental validation on a newly proposed multi-objective ESS control problem demonstrates the efficacy of CE-CMEPS, showcasing performance improvements and reduced variation compared to standalone MEPS. Our results show that CE-CMEPS is an effective ESS discharge controller and a sustainable multi-objective reinforcement learning solution
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