A new species of spionid polychaete from the coastal waters of southwest India, Trochochaeta chakara sp. nov., is described and illustrated. Adults are common on Alappuzha mud banks (locally known as Chakara) off the coast of Kerala. They live in silty tubes in soft sediment and are characterized by the presence of two pairs of red eyes, caruncle extending to end of chaetiger 1, heavy falcate spines in neuropodia of chaetigers 2 and 3 (those in chaetiger 3 much stronger and darker), capillary chaetae in notopodia of chaetigers 1, 3–10, frayed heavy spines in neuropodia of chaetigers 4–13, hirsute capillaries in neuropodia from chaetiger 14, lateral interneuropodial membranes from chaetiger 14, one pair of ventral papillae on each chaetiger from chaetigers 14–16, bundles of acicular spines in notopodia from chaetigers 50–52, and small pygidium with up to six pairs of short cirri. This is the third species of Trochochaeta described and found in the Indian Ocean, including T. orissae (Fauvel, 1932) and T. cirrifera (Hartman, 1975).

This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between three body composition devices and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in assessing segmental body composition among healthy Iranian adults. This comparative study recruited 62 healthy adults (33 men and 29 women) from Tehran, Iran, using a convenience sampling approach. Socio-demographic data were collected, and segmental body composition was assessed using several devices, including the InBody 770, Anea Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), Tanita BC-418, and DXA. Agreement between DXA and the BIA devices was evaluated using Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient. Additionally, Bland–Altman plots and mean percentage error were applied to assess the consistency between the two methods. The Anea, InBody 770, and Tanita BC-418 devices showed strong correlation with DXA for all segmental measurements (r≥0.74, p<0.05). Moderate agreement (concordance correlation coefficient (CCC): 0.90 ≤ CCC < 0.95) with the DXA method was found for some segments using the Anea (trunk fat mass, arms fat-free mass, legs fat-free mass, and trunk fat-free mass) and the InBody 770 (trunk lean body mass and trunk fat mass) devices. The estimation of legs fat mass was the least accurate across all BIA devices. Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed that the BIA devices provided more precise results in men and in individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) <25.00 kg/m2. The Anea BIA and InBody 770 devices show relatively acceptable validity for segmental body composition assessment. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

This article argues that Marcus Argentarius, the witty and obscene epigrammatist from the Garland of Philip, juxtaposes his brand of erotic, sympotic poetry with the learned astronomical poetry of Aratus in two poems that utilise imagery of the cosmos and constellations, Anth. Pal. 5.105/7 G–P and Anth. Pal. 9.270/26 G–P. I review the (recognised) obscene double entendres in Anth. Pal. 5.105/7 G–P, compare that poem to Philodemus’ own ‘dirty astronomy’ epigram (Anth. Pal. 11.318/28 G–P/31 Sider), and then suggest that Anth. Pal. 9.270/26 G–P also contains obscene double entendres, which equate Argentarius’ lyre-playing with masturbation, and masturbation with the writing of amusing, erotic epigrams.

The confession, as its name suggests, presents the personal, and often private, experience of the author, as we see in Rousseau’s well-known confessions which intend to expose his private self to public scrutiny. Bell’s confessional writing, however, is employed as a rhetorical means to serve his public purpose of political theorizing, since what the author intends to emphasize is not his private world, or even his personal experience as “a minor bureaucrat,” but to explore “the inner workings of Chinese academia and to draw implications for China’s broader political system” (3). Instead of a chronological reckoning of the history of the author’s life as an academic leader, Dean from Shandong has singled out several interconnected topics as a series of recollection of events Bell experienced in his five-year deanship to illustrate what he perceived as the important aspects of the Chinese culture in general and academic life in particular. The first-person narration, with its self-mocking style, foreshadows his intention behind the narrative, namely, his way of doing political theorizing as a political scientist. According to Northrop Frye, the confession is “introverted” and “thematic.”1 Bell’s confessions seem to be more thematic than introverted, “I invoke my personal experience only if it sheds light on social and political life in contemporary China, with its contradictions, diversity, and charm” (18).

Constitutional democracies face significant threats. Such threats are countered by various theories of militant democracy and non-militant democratic self-defence, using a wide range of repressive, educational and social policy tools. The article introduces an alternative perspective on democratic self-defence policies, emphasising integration as a key component in maintaining the resilience of the constitutional community and draws on Rudolf Smend’s integration theory. It explores how constitutional design through its structures, powers, procedures, rituals and symbols shapes community cohesion and strengthens the constitutional order by deliberately using emotions.

We report a 24-year-old male with functional single ventricle who developed ventricular dysfunction associated with strangulation by a previous epicardial pacemaker lead. During conversion to dual-chamber pacing, the constricting ventricular lead was removed, with intraoperative echocardiography demonstrating improvement in apical contraction. Relief of mechanical compression, together with restoration of atrioventricular synchrony, likely contributed to the recovery of ventricular function.

This study evaluated the growth trajectories of twins from birth to school age, focusing on weight and height z scores of children born in São Paulo. The longitudinal study comprised 188 healthy twins (M = 9.13 years; SD = 2.16). Weight data were obtained from birth records and reassessed at school age, and height at school age. Singleton birth weights and standard growth curves were used as reference points. Overall, the proportion of children with z scores below the median decreased significantly, from 98.3% at birth to 31.4% at school age. At birth, the dispersion of z-scores below the median was significantly greater among monochorionic compared to dichorionic twins (2.051 vs. 1.701), but this difference was no longer observed at school age (1.861 vs. 0.976). In total, 68.8% of the twins showed improved weight development, with no cases of deterioration. While monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs exhibited comparable intertwin birth-weight differences, by school age MZ pairs exhibited more similar weights, whereas DZ pairs showed significantly greater weight discrepancies. For height at school age, mean height z scores were within the expected range for singletons. No significant differences were observed between monochorionic and dichorionic twins, whereas MZ pairs showed smaller within-pair height differences than DZ pairs. These findings suggest that although chorionicity plays an important role during the perinatal period — particularly due to the lower birth weights observed among monochorionic twins — its influence diminishes over time. By school age, weight and height differences are primarily determined by zygosity.

In his book The Work of the Holy Spirit, Kuyper begins (in the original Dutch version) with an extensive reference to John Owen. This raises the question of his relationship to Owen. Is his theology derived from John Owen? This study outlines Owen’s view of regeneration. We then consider how Kuyper developed his theology of regeneration. It appears that the metaphor of the ‘seed’ is central to his understanding of the new birth. The seed can retain its germinating capacity for years and only then sprout. When we compare this metaphor with Owen, it appears that Kuyper uses a concept that John Owen also uses, but he elaborates in a completely different way so that it ultimately becomes a different concept.

Mugane (1997) identifies two types of individual-denoting nominalizations in Gĩkũyũ (Bantu): the [mu… a]-type and the [mu… i]-type. He argues that the [mu… i]-type nominalizations are phrasal and that the [mu… a]-type nominalizations exhibit a puzzling nature, displaying both lexical and syntactic properties. This study examines Mugane’s characterization, revisiting the notion of a lexicon-syntax divide. Applying Wood’s (2023) Complex Head analysis, I demonstrate that we can explain the [mu… a]-type nominalizations within a syntactic framework without resorting to the lexicon. The analysis reveals that the puzzle is resolvable and that syntax can account for both types of nominalizations in Gĩkũyũ.

Neuromorphic vision-based robotic tactile sensors fuse touch and vision, enabling manipulators to efficiently grip and identify objects. Precise robotic manipulation requires early detection of slips on the grasped object, which is crucial for maintaining grip stability and safety. Modern closed-loop feedback technologies use measurements from neuromorphic vision-based tactile sensors to control and prevent object slippage. Unfortunately, most of these sensors measure and report data-based rather than model-based information, resulting in less efficient control capabilities. This work proposes physical and mathematical modeling of an in-house-developed neuromorphic vision-based robotic tactile sensor that utilizes a protruded marker design to demonstrate the model-based approach. This sensor is mounted on the UR10 robotic manipulator, enabling manipulation tasks such as approaching, pressing, and slipping. The neuromorphic vision-based robotic tactile sensor-derived mathematical model revealed first-order system behavior for three manipulation-related actions under study. Experimental robotic manipulator grasping work is conducted to verify and validate the sensor’s derived mathematical FOS model. Two data analysis approaches, temporal and spatial–temporal model based, are adopted to classify the manipulator-sensor actions. A long short-term memory (LSTM) temporal classifier is engineered to exploit the sensor’s derived model. Also, the LSTM spatial–temporal classifier is designed using an event-weighted centroid of the region-of-interest features. Both LSTM methods successfully identified the robotic actions performed with an accuracy of more than 99%. Additionally, quantitative slip rate estimation is carried out based on centroid estimation, and qualitative assessment of pressing force is performed using a fuzzy logic classifier.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a key treatment for adolescent depression and anxiety, yet their sexual side-effects are often overlooked. Although well-documented in adults, sexual side-effects in adolescents remain under-researched and rarely discussed in clinical practice. This lack of awareness can contribute to distress, self-esteem issues and treatment non-adherence. Adolescence is a crucial time for sexual development, making recognition of sexual side-effects particularly important. However, young patients may not report these effects because of embarrassment or unawareness, and clinicians may avoid the topic because of discomfort or time constraints. By addressing sexual side-effects proactively, as highlighted in this article, clinicians can improve patient engagement, treatment or management adherence and overall mental well-being.