This article invites readers to consider certain questions too rarely asked: What are we doing when we consider or fail to consider something or someone? What implications, especially theological implications, does our considering or failing to consider have for ethics as reflection on our moral lives? Finally, will considering our considering help us to become more considerate human beings? Three major figures from the Christian tradition—Bernard Lonergan, Bernard of Clairvaux (author of De Consideratione), and Thomas Aquinas—help us to answer these questions in ways that urge us to consider not only their own words and ideas, but also those of others, especially ourselves. As teachers, they also lead us to ask how consideration might become a more frequent focus of education, broadly understood. And in closing, the reader is asked to consider the possibility that everyone, in their serious questioning, or considering, is “theologizing” in a way.

A Gordian unlink is a finite number of unknots that are not topologically linked, each with prescribed length and thickness, and that cannot be disentangled into the trivial link by an isotopy preserving length and thickness throughout. In this note, we provide the first examples of Gordian unlinks. As a consequence, we identify the existence of isotopy classes of unknots that differ from those in classical knot theory. More generally, we present a one-parameter family of Gordian unlinks with thickness ranging in $[1,2)$ and absolute curvature bounded by 1, concluding that thinner normal tubes lead to different rope geometries than those previously considered. Knots or links in the one-parameter model introduced here are called thin knots or links. When the thickness is equal to 2, we obtain the standard model for geometric knots, also called thick knots.

Let ${\mathrm {U}}_n({\mathbb {F}}_q)$ be the unitriangular group and ${\mathrm {U}}_{a,b,c,d}({\mathbb {F}}_q)$ the four-block unipotent radical of the standard parabolic subgroup of $\mathrm {GL}_{n}$, where $a+b+c+d=n$. In this paper, we study the class of all pattern subgroups of ${\mathrm {U}}_{a,b,c,d}({\mathbb {F}}_{q})$. We establish character-number formulae of degree $q^e$ for all these pattern groups. For pattern subgroups $G_{{\mathcal {D}}_m}({\mathbb {F}}_q)$ in this class, we provide an algebraic geometric approach to their polynomial properties, which verifies an analogue of Lehrer’s conjecture for these pattern groups.

Malnutrition results from inadequate nutrient intake, assimilation or utilisation, negatively impacting clinical outcomes and quality of life. It likely compromises gut barrier integrity, increasing intestinal permeability (IP), which impairs nutrient absorption or utilization and increases the risk of infections and inflammation. This systematic review aims to examine the current evidence on the association between malnutrition and IP, identifying existing research gaps. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to June 2024. According to PECOS strategy, “P”= individuals malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, assessed for intestinal permeability, “E”= malnutrition or risk of malnutrition, “C”= well-nourished individuals, “O”= increased intestinal permeability, and “S”= all study types. The PRISMA checklist was followed, and the Study Quality Assessment Tools (NIH) were used for methodological quality analysis. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with a moderate/high risk of bias. Malnourished individuals exhibited increased IP across various conditions (e.g., anorexia nervosa, cancer and liver cirrhosis) or setting (hospital and community). A wide heterogeneity was observed in malnutrition assessment tools which consider different parameters such as body mass index, body weight loss, and food intake. Similarly, diverse biomarkers/methods for assessing IP, including direct and indirect approaches, were used. Despite methodological heterogeneity, findings show an association between malnutrition and increased IP. Standardized research, including comprehensive biomarker panels, is needed to improve comparability, facilitating the development of targeted interventions for preventing malnutrition and managing its complications.

Scholarship in World Englishes has been prolific over the past several decades, and today, English is accepted as the world’s ‘hypercentral’ language (de Swann 2002). Despite legitimizing varieties of English used in diverse parts of the world, however, the focus of most World Englishes scholarship has been on educated varieties of English, perpetuating the hegemony of the educated elite. Scholarship on varieties of English used by uneducated/less educated users has been neglected, even in contexts like India, where the number of less educated users of English far exceeds the educated. This paper studies the English used at the grassroots by multilingual Indians in urban India and Oman, a country with a large migrant labor population from India. This qualitative study analyses a small corpus of public and restaurant signs and WhatsApp messages produced by Indians at the grassroots levels in urban India and Oman, and focuses on categorizing the features employed to communicate (successfully). Features are categorized as orthographic, lexical, and grammatical. The study concludes with a discussion on the necessity of including English at the grassroots in World Englishes scholarship to capture the reality of the Englishes used around the world.

Brazil partnered with China to foster industrial and technological progress, and to increase autonomy and prestige. The outcome, however, has been de-industrialisation and increased dependency. Nevertheless, the perception persists that Brazil is rising alongside China towards a post-hegemonic, multipolar world. We argue this can be understood through the deep-rooted embedded-autonomy narrative that shapes Brazil’s approach to the world. This positions the United States as the primary obstacle to national goals and China as part of the solution. Brazil reached out in solidarity to China, expecting outsized material and ontological security gains. This outsourcing of anti-dependency played a key role in Brazil’s accommodation of China’s preferences, locking in path dependency. By seriously considering the ideas guiding Brazil’s foreign policy, we examine how the trajectory of Sino-Brazilian relations was sustained despite the apparent mismatch between goals and outcomes.

The family Kogiidae, comprising the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and the dwarf sperm whale (K. sima), represents some of the least-known cetaceans worldwide. Their small size, deep-diving behaviour, and elusive surface activity result in very few live sightings, particularly in the North Atlantic Ocean. Here, we report two significant observations from the Azores in July 2025: a group of six K. breviceps, the largest reported group size of this species, and a confirmed sighting of K. sima off Pico Island – representing only the sixth record for the archipelago. Photographic evidence and expert validation confirmed the identification of K. sima based on body proportions. We also review records of both species, including other live encounters and strandings, across the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde). Together, our observations and synthesis document an exceptional group size for K. breviceps, emphasise the rarity of K. sima in the region, and highlight the value of whale-watching platforms and citizen science for monitoring elusive cetaceans.

The conceptual design of mission-tailored aircraft is increasingly shifting towards system of systems (SoS) perspectives that account for system interactions using a holistic view. Agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) is a common approach for analysing an SoS, but the behaviour of its agents tends to be defined by rigid behaviour trees. The present work aims to evaluate the suitability of a prompt-engineered large language model (LLM) acting as the Incident Commander (IC), replacing the fixed behaviour trees that govern the agents’ decisions. The research contributes by developing a prompting framework for operational guidelines, constraints, and priorities to obtain an LLM commander within a wildfire suppression, SoS capable of replicating human decisions. By enabling agents in a simulation model with decision-making capabilities closer to those expected from humans, the commander’s decisions and potential emergent patterns can be translated into more defined requirements for aircraft conceptual design (ACD) (e.g., endurance, payload, sensors, communications, or turnaround requirements). Results showed that an LLM commander facilitated adaptive and context-aware decisions that can be analysed via decision logs. The results allow designers to derive aircraft requirements for their specific roles from operational outcomes rather than a priori assumptions, linking SoS mission needs and ACD parameters.

This research paper describes the effect of fermented substrates comprised of dairy by-products and underutilised cereals on murine faecal enzymes and faecal microbial profiles, and the development of the fermented substrate into a sour-spicy beverage for human consumption. A fermented substrate was made by using dairy by-products and underutilised cereals, whey and skim milk blend (60:40, v/v), germinated pearl millet flour and barley malt extract. The substrate was fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 13. The growth pattern of the organism in the composite substrate was satisfactorily described by a logistic-type equation. Faecal samples were obtained from 18 Swiss albino male mice that had been fed on either a control diet (n = 6), a diet based on an unfermented substrate, and a diet based on a fermented substrate (six in each group) and analysed. The fermented substrate caused a significant (P < 0.05) increment in faecal lactobacilli with a concomitant reduction in faecal coliform counts. Further, the fermented substrate caused a significant (P < 0.05) and sustainable decline in faecal enzyme β-glucuronidase activity in the mouse model, which is commonly considered a marker of colon cancer. The reductions in the numbers of coliform bacteria in faeces might explain the decline in faecal enzyme activity. Beta-glucuronidase is an enzyme produced by faecal bacteria that converts procarcinogens to potential carcinogens from available substrates. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli generally have lower activities of these harmful enzymes, whereas β-glucuronidase is produced in high amounts by enterobacteria and clostridia spp. The fermented substrate was developed into a sour and spicy beverage for human consumption. The average TS, fat, protein, ash, starch and fibre contents of the beverage were 11%, 0.3%, 2%, 0.61%, 1% and 1.4%, respectively. The sensory score with an overall acceptability of 7.5, revealed that the product was sensory acceptable.

This article documents the lives of three female cathedral choristers and the impacts of cathedral choral training on their subsequent lives and careers. The participants reported the acquisition of musical skills such as sight-reading and knowledge of liturgical repertoire as key. Extra-musical skills were also reported, including being organised and flexible, focusing on details, working hard, behaving in a professional manner and taking up leadership roles. In addition to the many positive experiences, the choristers identified a need for targeted pastoral care in their cathedral choral training. Further research needs to investigate the environmental structures and supports in cathedral choirs and the dynamics between conductors and child female choristers.

This essay traces the rise of ginseng as a crucial commodity in the Qing Dynasty, focusing on its integration into the empire’s administrative and economic structures. Central to this transformation was Pierre Jartoux’s influential identification of ginseng, which reoriented its trade from inland markets to maritime routes. This shift not only enhanced its global circulation but also broadened its accessibility to diverse consumers. The essay speaks to multiple fields of study. It contributes to global commodity history by highlighting how ginseng’s changing trade routes shaped early modern commerce. It also emphasizes the entangled nature of cultural and economic exchanges across regions. Additionally, it advances scholarship in the history of medicine by examining how ginseng’s therapeutic uses and meanings developed as it moved across different social and geographic contexts.

It is widely recognized that the hostile takeover is a key element of the UK’s shareholder value system of corporate governance. This article draws on archival evidence to offer a detailed account of the emergence of the hostile takeover and its acceptance within the media and government between 1952 and 1954. The existing literature claims that the takeover was not normalized until 1959, and that finance was restricted until then. This article shows that takeovers were accepted within government five years earlier, and that the Bank of England and Treasury knew that insurance companies were financing them, but did nothing about it.

The article begins with the legal and accounting changes introduced in Companies Act 1948, as well as the precarious financial position of shareholders. Together, they created an opening for hostile takeovers to emerge, which were driven by the desire of bidders to gain control of, and sell off, real property that was undervalued on corporate balance sheets. First emerging in 1952, the hostile takeover took the corporate and financial community, as well as the Government (the Bank of England, Board of Trade and Treasury) by surprise. The media led the way in cheerleading for the hostile takeover, while companies such as the Savoy Hotel Group and the Daily Mirror sought to defend themselves against unwelcome approaches. The Government ultimately settled for condemning “speculative” bids in public, but behind the scenes accepted the hostile takeover as legitimate. By 1954, it was recognized that: companies were under pressure to raise dividends and sell off assets in order to deter takeover bidders; that they only had limited options to defend themselves; and that there was little that could be done by Government. Managerialism had begun to give way to shareholder value.