The human hand’s exceptional dexterity and compliance, derived from its rigid-soft coupling structure and tendon-driven interphalangeal coordination, inspire robotic grippers capable of versatile grasping and force adaptation. Traditional rigid manipulators lack compliance for delicate tasks, while soft robots often suffer from instability and low load capacity. To bridge this gap, we propose a biomimetic multi-joint composite finger integrating a 3D-printed rigid phalanges (46–51 mm) with dual fabric-reinforced pneumatic bladders, mimicking human finger biomechanics. This hybrid design combines hinge-jointed rigidity and anisotropic fabric constraints, enabling two rotational degrees of freedom with higher radial stiffness, achieving 2.18× higher critical burst pressure (240 kPa) than non-reinforced bladders, while preserving axial compliance. Experimental validation demonstrates a 4.77 N maximum fingertip force at 200 kPa and rapid recovery (< 2s) post-impact. The composite finger exhibits human-like gestures (enveloping, pinching, flipping) and adapts to irregular/fragile objects (e.g., eggs, screws) through coordinated bladder actuation. Assembled into a modular gripper, it sustains 1 kg payloads and executes thin-object flipping via proximal-distal joint synergy. This rigid-soft coupling design bridges compliance and robustness, offering high environmental adaptability for applications in industrial automation, human–robot interaction, and delicate manipulation.

This study introduces a novel approach to measuring the evolution of union power in Latin America. Using an original dataset covering ten dimensions of union activity across 17 countries from 1990 to 2020, it addresses shortcomings in prior research based on overly broad indicators or narrow case studies. In line with the specialized literature, factor analysis identifies four distinct dimensions of union power—associational, structural, institutional, and societal—each showing unique variation across countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis reveals four ideal types: (1) strongly embedded unionism, with robust associational and institutional strength (Argentina, Uruguay); (2) social movement unionism, marked by strong societal alliances but limited institutional access (e.g., Bolivia, Ecuador); (3) bureaucratic and isolated unionism, with institutional integration but weak societal mobilization (Brazil, Chile, Mexico); and (4) low-intensity unionism, prevalent in Central America. Correlation analyses reveal complex interactions among these dimensions. The study provides new empirical and conceptual tools to advance comparative research on labor movements in the region.

Here we consider the following fractional Hamiltonian system

\begin{equation*}\begin{cases}\begin{aligned}(-\Delta)^{s} u&=H_v(u,v) \;\;&&\text{in}~\Omega,\\(-\Delta)^{s} v&=H_u(u,v) &&\text{in}~\Omega,\\u &= v = 0 &&\text{in} ~ \mathbb{R}^N\setminus\Omega,\end{aligned}\end{cases}\end{equation*}

where $s\in (0,1)$, $N \gt 2s$, $H \in C^1(\mathbb{R}^2, \mathbb{R})$, and $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^N$ is a smooth bounded domain. To apply the variational method for this problem, the key question is to find a suitable functional setting. Instead of usual fractional Sobolev spaces, we use the solution space of $(-\Delta)^{s}u=f\in L^r(\Omega)$ for $r\ge 1$, for which we show the (compact) embedding properties. When H has subcritical and superlinear growth, we construct two frameworks, respectively with the interpolation space method and the dual method, to show the existence of nontrivial solution. As byproduct, we revisit the fractional Lane–Emden system, i.e. $H(u, v)=\frac{1}{p+1}|u|^{p+1}+\frac{1}{q+1}|v|^{q+1}$, and consider the existence, uniqueness of (radial) positive solutions under subcritical assumption.

This study examined the capacity of ChatGPT-4 to assess L2 writing in an accurate, specific, and relevant way. Based on 35 argumentative essays written by upper-intermediate L2 writers in higher education, we evaluated ChatGPT-4’s assessment capacity across four L2 writing dimensions: (1) Task Response, (2) Coherence and Cohesion, (3) Lexical Resource, and (4) Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The main findings were (a) ChatGPT-4 was exceptionally accurate in identifying the issues across the four dimensions; (b) ChatGPT-4 demonstrated more variability in feedback specificity, with more specific feedback in Grammatical Range and Accuracy and Lexical Resource, but more general feedback in Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion; and (c) ChatGPT-4’s feedback was highly relevant to the criteria in the Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion dimensions, but it occasionally misclassified errors in the Grammatical Range and Accuracy and Lexical Resource dimensions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of ChatGPT-4 as an assessment tool, informing future research and practical applications in L2 writing assessment.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) provides independent advice on nutrition and related health matters to UK government organisations. In keeping with its commitment to openness and transparency, SACN follows a set ‘Framework’ to ensure a prescribed and consistent approach is taken in all its evidence evaluations. Following an update of the SACN Framework in 2020, which addressed some straightforward issues, the SACN Framework subgroup was established in 2021 to consider more complex matters that were not addressed in the 2020 update. The SACN Framework subgroup considered four main topics for update: (1) the different types of evidence evaluations produced by SACN, (2) interpretation of statistical data, (3) tools for assessment of study quality and (4) tools to assess the certainty of a body of evidence for exposure–outcome relationships. The Framework subgroup agreed clear definitions and processes for the different types of evidence evaluations produced by SACN and agreed that interpretation of P values should be informed by consideration of study size, power and methodological quality. The subgroup recommended use of the AMSTAR 2 tool for quality assessment of evidence from systematic reviews and use of the Grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation approach to assess the certainty of evidence. The updated Framework was published in January 2023. This was followed by publication of a further update in October 2024. As a ‘living’ document, the Framework will be subject to regular review by the Framework subgroup and continue to evolve in line with best practice.

As an antiquarian at the beginning of the age of professional scholarship, Francis Douce (1737–1834) has enjoyed a mixed reputation, exemplified by Meg Twycross’s account of his influence on beliefs regarding the origins of the Towneley Plays. Widely-read and embedded in a network of like-minded enthusiasts, Douce does not appear to have recorded his insights for publication, but he nevertheless participated in what might be considered scholarly exchange. This article will pay attention to the annotations that Douce made in the margins of – and on sheets tipped into – French-language books published before 1600. It will look at what sort of features attracted Douce’s attention (primarily bibliographical, but also some relating to the content of the books he was reading). It will consider where Douce was getting his information about the works he collected and will note instances where Douce revisited and revised his opinions, evaluating the extent to which he was up-to-date with contemporary advances. Where Douce expresses his own opinion, this article will examine whether this opinion has been supported by later scholars. In short, what do the annotations tell us about the state of scholarship in the first decades of the nineteenth century?

A Chebyshev-distributed 1 × 8 beamforming network with improved phase flatness is presented, where four beams with constant beam pointing and low sidelobe levels (SLL) can be generated. It consists of two arbitrary-amplitude 4 × 4 Blass-like matrices and one 1 × 8 switch control circuit. The newly introduced 4 × 4 Blass-like matrices can obtain arbitrary amplitude and phase differences by adjusting the transmission coefficient and phase of each unit. Besides, four output phase differences can be generated by controlling the 1 × 8 switch control circuit. An example is implemented for validation and phase compensation method is adopted for minimizing the phase difference error within the operated bandwidth to maintain constant beam pointing. Measurements show that the prototype exhibits output amplitude ratios of 0.143:0.341: 0.71:1:1:0.71:0.341:0.143, which fits the Chebyshev distribution. Under the criterion of |S11| < −10 dB, an overlapped fractional bandwidth of 24.1% is obtained. In addition, from 5.5 to 6.1 GHz (10.3%), the maximum amplitude and phase difference errors are 1.5 dB and 15°, respectively. Finally, the proposed network is connected to a 1 × 8 array. Within 10.3% bandwidth, the SLLs of less than −20 dB are realized without beam-pointing deviation.

We explore the international transmission of monetary policy and central bank information shocks originating from the United States and the euro area. Employing a panel vector autoregression, we use macroeconomic and financial variables across several major economies to address both static and dynamic spillovers. To identify structural shocks, we introduce a novel approach that combines external instruments with heteroskedasticity-based identification and sign restrictions. Our results suggest significant spillovers from European Central Bank and Federal Reserve policies to each other’s economies, global aggregates, and other countries. These effects are more pronounced for central bank information shocks than for pure monetary policy shocks, and the dominance of the US in the global economy is reflected in our findings.

Plant-based meat and dairy analogues contain less protein than their animal-based counterparts and rely on various plant protein sources, which frequently display incomplete amino acid (AA) profiles that do not reflect dietary requirements due to low quantities of one or more essential AA (EAA). There is little insight in the AA profiles of most of these plant-based analogues. We assessed the AA composition of forty plant-based meat and dairy analogues that were commercially available in The Netherlands in March 2023 and compared their EAA profile to dietary requirements and to the EAA profile of their meat and dairy counterparts. Total protein contents were lower in most analogues when compared with their animal-based counterparts (meat analogues, n 16 (80 %); lunch meats and cheese analogues, n 10 (100 %); milk and yoghurt analogues, n 9 (90 %)) and accompanied by lower EAA contents. In reference to dietary requirements, the sum of the total EAA contents was adequate in all but one of the analogues. Nevertheless, all analogues displayed deficiencies in one or more specific EAA. Methionine contents were most frequently low (n 39; 98 %), followed by lysine contents (n 11; 28 %). Essential AA compositions varied between analogues irrespective of the protein source(s) used. In conclusion, plant-based meat and dairy analogues exhibit incomplete EAA profiles, which may compromise adequate protein nutrition in plant-centred diets.

Aortic valve disease in children is a hot topic in the field of cardiac surgery. The surgical treatment of aortic valve disease in children is affected by age, severity of the disease, and technology. The main purpose of surgical repair is to improve the symptoms of children and avoid or delay prosthetic valve replacement and reoperation as much as possible. At the same time, surgical repair should take into account the sustainability of the surgical effect and the growth ability of the aortic valve after surgery. At present, there is still a lack of a consistent surgical treatment concept and a universal surgical treatment strategy. Based on the current published literature, we conclude that for children younger than 1 year, valve repair is the first choice to avoid premature valve replacement. However, for experienced medical centres and surgeons, the Ross procedure can be attempted to treat aortic valve disease in children younger than 1 year and the long-term effect is comparable to aortic repair. In children older than 1 year, overall outcomes were similar with repair and the Ross procedure. When an acceptable intraoperative result was achieved, the outcomes of repair were favourable. However, when the intraoperative result of repair was suboptimal, the Ross procedure showed better results. For patients with suboptimal aortic valve repair, contraindications to the Ross procedure, and unwillingness to take anticoagulants, Ozaki procedure may also be an option to delay mechanical valve replacement. Compared with aortic valve repair and the Ross procedure, mechanical or homograft aortic valve replacement has a poor prognosis and is considered as a last resort option for surgical treatment of aortic valve disease in children. This article reviews the current status, advantages and disadvantages, and suitable population of several different surgical procedures for aortic valve disease in children.

There is a clinical need to appropriately apply large language model (LLM)-based systems for use in infectious diseases. We sought to use LLM and machine learning for extracting antibiotic susceptibility from clinical microbiology free-text reports, allowing use for outbreak detection, increasing information gathering efficiency, and public health reporting.

The investigation of structural variants that may govern complex traits has significant importance. This is particularly true for the crossbred dairy cattle of Pakistan, which are deemed ideal for achieving optimal milk production and enhanced environmental adaptability in tropical conditions. This research detected and described copy number variation regions (CNVR) within the crossbred cattle genome. A GGP_HDv3_C chip containing 139,376 SNPs was utilized to genotype a cohort of 81 animals. In this study, 1055 CNVs were obtained after quality control, distributed across animals and encompassing all autosomes. From these, 268 CNVRs were detected, which covered 31.03 megabases, representing approximately 1.24% of the bovine genome. Functional analysis of these regions yielded 97 genes primarily associated with the immune and defense systems. Additionally, other observed categories encompassed production, health and reproduction. These findings enhanced the CNV map of bovines, offering the variant identification linked to traits subject to selection in both crossbred and indicine breeds of cattle.

Research in political science has begun to explore how to use large language and object detection models to analyze text and visual data. However, few studies have explored how to use these tools for data extraction. Instead, researchers interested in extracting text from poorly formatted sources typically rely on optical character recognition and regular expressions or extract each item by hand. This letter describes a workflow process for structured text extraction using free models and software. I discuss the type of data best suited to this method, its usefulness within political science, and the steps required to convert the text into a usable dataset. Finally, I demonstrate the method by extracting agenda items from city council meeting minutes. I find the method can accurately extract subsections of text from a document and requires only a few hand labeled documents to adequately train.