Comprehension of wh-questions often poses challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in wh-movement languages like English. However, it remains unclear whether wh-in situ languages like Mandarin present similar difficulties. Moreover, the present study explores potential differences in comprehension between Mandarin subject and object wh-questions. We hypothesize a subject wh-question advantage, given that Mandarin object wh-questions exhibit a longer dependency than subject wh-questions. If confirmed, it would support that Mandarin wh-questions involve covert movement. Using eye-movement measures of the intermodal preferential looking (IPL) paradigm, this study investigates the comprehension of matrix subject and object wh-questions in Mandarin-speaking children with ASD (N = 35, mean age = 60.94 months) compared to their typically developing (TD) peers (N = 38, mean age = 29.66 months), matched on expressive vocabulary levels. The results showed that children in the TD group comprehended both subject and object wh-questions. However, in the ASD group, children comprehended only subject wh-questions. Overall, Mandarin-speaking children with ASD exhibited weaker comprehension of wh-questions than their TD counterparts, with particular difficulty processing object wh-questions. The subject-over-object advantage in wh-questions among Mandarin-speaking children with ASD suggests that they were sensitive to the longer dependency involved in object wh-questions. These findings support the involvement of covert movement in Mandarin wh-questions.

Childhood and adolescent obesity has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide. The persistence of excess weight from early life into adulthood together with its associated health consequences underscores the importance of effective prevention strategies. However, obesity in early life is driven by complex interactions between biological susceptibility, lifestyle behaviours, social determinants, and obesogenic environments, making prevention particularly challenging.

This review synthesises current evidence on childhood obesity prevention, critically examines the effectiveness of existing interventions, and discusses key challenges and opportunities for improving their impact. Evidence indicates that preventive strategies can improve dietary habits, physical activity, and other lifestyle behaviours, although their effects on anthropometric outcomes are generally modest. Interventions addressing multiple determinants and involving key settings such as families, schools, and communities appear more likely to achieve meaningful and sustained effects.

Translating evidence from controlled studies into effective, scalable real-world strategies remains a major challenge. Contextual factors, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and policy support play a critical role in determining intervention success. In this context, systems-oriented and participatory approaches offer promising opportunities to design coordinated, multilevel strategies. Future efforts should focus on early-life prevention, equity-oriented actions, and the integration of scientific evidence into public policies to achieve sustainable population-level impact.

This paper compares the acoustic properties of lateral consonants in two syllable positions in four languages – Russian, English, Romanian, and Georgian – each one representative of a distinct allophonic pattern. This study is also the first production study of Georgian lateral allophony including data from multiple speakers. By relying on both static formant measurements and dynamic analyses of formant trajectories, the study provides deeper insights into the role of syllable position and of vowel context in shaping lateral variation cross-linguistically. The results highlight differences in the production of laterals in two ways: they capture the gradience of the ‘dark’/‘light’ lateral variation across the four languages, and they contribute to our understanding of how intrinsic and extrinsic factors interact in lateral consonant production. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on lateral allophony. They underscore the importance of integrating dynamic methods, and of including less well studied languages.

The transnational cleavage captures a divide between those with cosmopolitan orientations who are more positive about international migration, trade, and governance and those with more nationalist outlooks. Recent research has demonstrated that polarisation along this cleavage in Europe is increasingly linked to urban-rural differences: people living in urban areas tend to be more cosmopolitan than people in rural areas, but existing studies have not yet elaborately analysed differences in voting behaviour. Moreover, education is the most consistent predictor of attitudes related to the transnational cleavage, and higher-educated individuals more often live in cities. Urban-rural political differences may therefore reflect differences in educational attainment between urban and rural inhabitants. We take a longitudinal perspective to assess the degree of overlap between urban-rural and educational differences in voting for parties at the opposite ends of the transnational cleavage (‘GAL’ and ‘TAN’ parties), using data from all 11 rounds of the European Social Survey (2002–2024). We find that urban voters are overrepresented in the electorates of GAL parties and underrepresented in the electorates of TAN parties. These urban-rural differences are growing over time and, only for a small portion, overlap with educational divides in GAL/TAN voting. Although, overall, educational attainment remains more strongly related to GAL/TAN voting, both educational attainment and urban-rural residence have their own explanatory value. These findings underscore that ‘place’ increasingly matters in structuring political conflict across Europe and highlight the importance of further incorporating geography into future research on the transnational cleavage.

A sparse high-gain multifaceted circularly polarized antenna array based on partially reflecting surfaces (PRSs) is designed. Circular polarization is obtained by implementing the sequential phase rotation method at the source antenna level. Beamforming is implemented using phase compensation combined with amplitude weighting proportional to the radiated intensity of the given facet in the targeted direction, following the maximum ratio transmission concept. The radiation pattern is scanned across the angular region specified by the angular gap between adjacent facets. The obtained beamformed result shows a maximum gain fluctuation smaller than 0.5 dB across the scanned sector, together with a sidelobe suppression of 10.27 dB, and the obtained embedded element pattern exhibits a flat top.

In technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategies are essential for supporting English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing development. As collaborative learning becomes increasingly prominent in TELL, SRLL has expanded from individual regulation to collaborative contexts. However, limited research has compared how individual and collaborative SRLL contexts influence learners’ strategy use, writing performance, and learning behaviors. To address this gap, this study used WeChat as a mobile learning platform to compare university-level EFL learners’ SRLL strategy use, writing performance, and behavioral patterns in individual and collaborative self-regulated writing programs. Two intact classes were assigned to either a WeChat-based individual group (WIG) or a WeChat-based collaborative group (WCG). The collected data included SRLL strategy use questionnaire, writing scores, and WeChat learning logs. Results showed that the collaborative context promoted learners’ overall, cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral SRLL strategy use, although no significant difference was found in motivational strategy use. The WCG also achieved higher writing performance and showed distinctive regulatory behaviors related to time monitoring and feedback awareness. These findings suggest that SRLL is a dynamic and cyclical process shaped by task demands, technological affordances, and social interaction. They also highlight the value of integrating individual and collaborative learning modes to support learners’ movement between self-regulation, co-regulation, and socially shared regulation.

The ornamental horticulture industry is a major pathway for the introduction of invasive alien species (IAS), with online trade accelerating their spread by expanding market access. This study compiled an inventory of plant species in India’s online market, assessed native, alien and invasive plants and evaluated invasion risk using global naturalized and invasive records. Data from three leading online plant retailers revealed 1856 species spanning 1045 genera and 194 families. Alien species (1371) outnumbered native species (480), with Apocynaceae and Cactaceae being the most species-rich families. Herbs were the predominant life form, and most alien taxa originated from the Americas. Cross-referencing with global databases identified 327 invasive and 639 naturalized alien species among those traded online. Thirty-nine species that are invasive elsewhere are already naturalized in India (high risk), 239 are invasive elsewhere but not yet naturalized locally (moderate risk) and 2 are low risk. Additionally, 57 species already invasive in India are sold online. These findings indicate a substantial biological invasions risk via online ornamental plant trade in India, highlighting the need for stronger regulations, risk-assessment protocols, enhanced awareness and coordinated action among the ornamental plant industry, government agencies and conservation organizations to curb the spread of IAS.