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This paper discusses the role of data within scientific reasoning and as evidence for theoretical claims, arguing for the idea that data can yield theoretically grounded models and be inferred, predicted, or explained from/by such models. Contrary to Bogen and Woodward’s rejection of data-to-theory and theory-to-data inferences/predictions, we draw upon artificial intelligence as applied to science literature to argue that (a) many models are routinely inferred and predicted from the data and routinely used to infer and predict data, and (b) such models can, at least in some contexts, play the role of theories.
This essay explores a key stage in the legal history of the concepts of consent and guilt in cases of rape, namely in twelfth-century canon law in the work of Gratian and the early canonists who commented on his Decretum. It substantially revises the account that currently exists in scholarship and explains that confusion between raptus and rape and a limited read of the Decretum have combined to provide a problematic picture in which, it has been claimed, neither Gratian nor broader medieval canon law took rape seriously as an offence. The essay focuses on the underexplored Causa 32 in the Decretum and discusses how Gratian very directly addressed forced coitus in that section of his text, both condemning it and exonerating women of all guilt who are forced to have sex without their consent. Gratian and the decretists ended up changing the discourse on rape, in part through their treatment of both Lucretia of Roman legend and an early Christian martyr, Lucia. Their considerations, which intersected with theology, resulted in a legal principle that a raped wife cannot be charged with adultery. Since their considerations could also be applied to any rape victim, their work is important for the development of rape law and legal notions of consent.
We show that banks use industry knowledge acquired through corporate lending in mortgage lending, a phenomenon we refer to as the “industry expertise channel.” Specifically, banks that specialize in particular industries expand their mortgage lending activity in regions where those industries are concentrated. The impact of industry expertise increases with information asymmetry and borrower risk. In addition, mortgages originated from this channel contain more soft information and perform better. The effect of the channel increases after unexpected industry distress and the 2008 financial crisis, suggesting that the effect is likely causal.
By the end of the fourteenth-century AD, Native peoples throughout the midwestern and southeastern regions of North America had withdrawn from major monumental and political centers established in prior centuries. In this article, I present the results of a community-level examination of settlement transformations on the Georgia Coast that I argue are the outcome of this large-scale movement of Mississippian peoples. Specifically, I examine the consequences of the depopulation of the Savannah River Valley, a case of a rapid, historically contingent Mississippian emigration beginning in the fourteenth century AD. My results establish how a large-scale immigration event affected community spatial and political organization and demonstrate that migrants and coastal locals engaged in the collective cultural construction of new identities and lifeways in response to the challenges of negotiating the use of common pool resources, such as fisheries and suitable farmland. Reconstructing the spatial organization of communities can help explain the demographic, economic, and political processes that undergird the cultural materialization of space. Although much remains to be learned about intra-settlement organization at post-Archaic, precolonial sites along the Georgia Coast, this investigation provides new information about the local, community-level spatial response to the fourteenth-century immigration event.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder. Up to 50% of NF1 patients develop plexiform neurofibromas (PN). Despite revisions in diagnostic standards, there remains a lack of consensus on referral, treatment, monitoring and transition processes for NF1-PN. The study aimed to establish a Canada-wide consensus on the best practice for referral and management of patients with NF1-PN to help generate guidance where evidence on the long-term use of MEK inhibitors is lacking.
Methods:
The study used a modified Delphi method. The steering committee (SC) identified 4 topics of focus and developed 44 consensus statements. Following ratification, 43 statements were developed into an online survey sent to 113 healthcare practitioners (HCPs) involved in NF1-PN management across Canada. Respondents used a 4-point Likert scale to indicate agreement with each statement. The threshold for consensus agreement was 75%.
Results:
A total of 56 responses were received, predominantly from Ontario. Most respondents were neuro-oncologists (34%) and had over 11 years of experience (57%). Consensus was reached on 41 of 43 statements (95%), enabling the SC to develop recommendations for NF1-PN patient care and a treatment algorithm outlining key timings for treatment and management.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this is the first national Delphi consensus on NF1-PN. Strong agreement was seen from HCPs on critical timings in NF1-PN treatment and management. The proposed recommendations and treatment algorithm provide a framework to enhance patient care and support ongoing research into optimizing care for NF1-PN patients, not just in Canada but globally.
The stable property cluster view of natural kinds leaves the metaphysical structure of natural kinds open. The positive corollary of this feature is freedom from explaining the nature of problematic entities and that it affords natural kind status and flexibility. However, some worries are raised against this feature; the metaphysical structure of natural kinds is required for explaining their epistemic values such as inductive and explanatory power. Here I take the criticisms at face value and offer a possible metaphysical model of the SPC account that does not meddle with the merits but mitigates the worries.
The recent phenomenon of anthropomorphizing artificial intelligences (AIs) is uniquely provocative for philosophy of religion because of its tendency to place AIs in an analogous position to divinity vis-à-vis humans in spite of AIs being human artefacts. In the case of divinity, intelligent mental capacities are, and in the case of AIs are sometimes presented as inevitably becoming, not just equivalent but in fact superior to their realization in humans. Philosophers of religion would do well to learn from discussions of anthropomorphism in AI, in conversation with the historical debates over anthropomorphizing divinity, and to remember that evolved cognitive biases may lose their adaptive functions as the cultural context shifts, and even become maladaptive.
Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea Roshev.), a widespread and troublesome weed in rice (Oryza sativa L.) fields, is typically controlled using imazamox in imidazolinone-tolerant rice fields. However, suspected resistance to imazamox has emerged in weedy rice populations in Jiangsu Province, China. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of resistance and investigate the resistance mechanisms. A whole-plant bioassay was performed on 35 weedy rice populations, demonstrating that 26 populations developed resistance to imazamox. The effective dose values causing 50% inhibition of growth reduction (GR50) in resistant (R) populations ranged from 129.2 to 280.2 g ai ha−1, exceeding the recommended application rate of imazamox (120 g ai ha−1) in imazamox-tolerant rice fields. R populations displayed cross-resistance to other acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides, except for certain sulfonylurea herbicides. Sequencing of the ALS gene identified a Ser-653-Asn substitution in resistant populations. A novel derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) method was developed for the rapid and efficient detection of the Ser-653-Asn mutation in O. sativa f. spontanea. In vitro ALS activity assays revealed that the imazamox concentration required to inhibit 50% (IC50) of ALS activity was 80.0- to 88.3-fold higher in R populations compared with a susceptible (S) population. After imazamox treatment, the ALS expression levels in both the S and R populations of weedy rice increased. Resistance was not reversed by cytochrome P450 oxidase system (CYP450) or glutathione S-transferase (GST) inhibitors, suggesting that metabolic resistance mechanisms were not involved. In conclusion, weedy rice developed a different resistance level to imazamox, and the Ser-653-Asn mutation in the target ALS was the main reason. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal the mechanism of resistance to imazamox in weedy rice in China.
This historical study examines the evolving landscape of gender equality within the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika (DCT), with a focus on health-related developments in the post-colonial period. Tracing the trajectory from entrenched gender-based limitations to broader inclusivity, the article highlights how women, once marginalized in Church health initiatives, have gained visibility and agency, particularly since the 1980s. The period marks a turning point in which women began to access education, participate in leadership and contribute to health programmes that had long been male-dominated. Traditional gender roles have gradually shifted, reflecting a redefinition of responsibility within the Church and a growing embrace of shared leadership rooted in Christian values of love, cooperation and mutual respect. However, despite institutional advancements and theological support for equality, enduring gender disparities, especially in rural health services, continue to pose serious challenges. This study underscores the dual narrative of progress and persistent inequality, offering an important account of the Anglican Church’s ongoing journey towards holistic gender inclusion in health and ministry.
Using close to 800,000 transactions by 66,000 households in the United States and close to 2,000,000 transactions by 303,000 households in Finland, this paper shows that, on average, individual investors with longer holding periods choose to hold less liquid stocks in their portfolios. The relationship between holding periods and transaction costs is stronger among more financially sophisticated households. We confirm our findings by analyzing changes in investors’ holding periods around exogenous shocks to stock liquidity. Our findings challenge the notion that individual investors ignore non-salient costs when making investment decisions and suggest that they are cognizant of the cost of trading stocks.
This work presents a novel dynamic inflow modeling approach for single- and multirotor systems. The proposed model is derived from first principles using a parametrisation that guarantees accurate results at steady-state. In an effort to simplify and unite previous works in the field, it is shown how two important works from the dynamic inflow modeling literature can be recreated using the present framework. The utility of the model is further illustrated through analysis and comparisons to well-established theories and empirical results in both steady-state and dynamic scenarios. Overall, the aim is to simplify and unite dynamic inflow models.
Carbonatites are complex rocks yet globally significant hosts of critical mineral resources. Mitigating exploration risk demands robust understanding of their geodynamic setting, which hinges on constraining the timing, duration and nature of associated magmatic and fluid–rock processes. We present multi-method geochronology and isotope geochemistry for the recently discovered Luni and Crean mineralized (Nb, REE, P) carbonatites of the Aileron Province, central Australia. We integrate data from multiple mineral-isotope-pairs: U–Pb and Lu–Hf in zircon, Rb–Sr in biotite and Sr, Lu–Hf, Sm–Nd and (U–Th)/He in apatite. Combined petrological and isotopic evidence resolves distinct geological events over >500 Myr. Zircon U–Pb and biotite Rb–Sr dates range from 831 ± 3 Ma to 796 ± 9 Ma. The oldest dates from less altered minerals reflect primary crystallization, and younger dates relate to pervasive hydrothermal alteration. Radiogenic isotopes (Sr–Nd–Hf) imply a moderately depleted mantle source with negligible recycled sedimentary components in the primary carbonatite magma. Our findings correlate carbonatite magmatism in the Aileron Province at ∼830–820 Ma with the onset of Rodinia Supercontinent breakup, during widespread rift-related extension and mantle-derived magmatism across Australia. Post-emplacement, Lu–Hf apatite dates from 722 ± 17 Ma to 653 ± 22 Ma suggest protracted alteration, whereas apatite (U–Th)/He data indicate exhumation at ∼250 Ma. Carbonatite emplacement probably exploited pre-existing transcrustal corridors during Tonian extension. These zones of structural weakness likely facilitated ascent of volatile-rich, mantle-derived melts to mid–shallow crustal depths, highlighting how regional geodynamics govern the localization and preservation of mineralized carbonatites.
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation has emerged as a widely adopted disinfection technology in healthcare settings due to its germicidal effectiveness. However, concerns have grown regarding the potential degradation of materials, particularly polymeric surfaces, subjected to repeated UV-C exposure. Understanding the extent, mechanism, and contributing factors of UV-C-induced material degradation is essential for safe and sustainable implementation.
Methods:
We conducted a scoping literature review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to evaluate evidence on UV-C-related material degradation. Multiple databases were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000, and August 30, 2024, investigating material degradation under UV-C radiation (100–280 nm) in potentially healthcare-relevant conditions. Data abstraction captured study design, UV-C exposure characteristics, material types, degradation types, and assessment methods.
Results:
Of the 56 studies reviewed, 14 met inclusion criteria. All employed experimental designs conducted in laboratory settings. UV-C exposure resulted in both visible and structural degradation of several polymeric materials. Polycarbonate, HDPE, and PLA were the most affected, exhibiting yellowing, surface cracking, and loss of mechanical strength. Degradation was time-, dose-, and distance-dependent, with longer exposure, higher irradiance, and shorter distance correlating with more severe damage. Detection methods included visual inspection, microscopy, spectroscopy, and nanoindentation. Some studies reported UV stabilizers and antioxidant additives as potential mitigation strategies.
Conclusions:
UV-C radiation can cause significant degradation of commonly used polymeric materials. These findings underscore the need for careful selection of materials in UV-C environments and support further research on mitigation strategies to enhance material longevity.
Background: The Venezuelan migrant crisis is the largest forced displacement in the Western Hemisphere. Venezuelan migrants face numerous challenges during the migration and resettlement process, negatively impacting their mental and physical health. Migrants who are caregivers face additional vulnerabilities and health needs, particularly women of reproductive age. However, there is limited research on the mental health of this population, including predictors of mental health conditions. Methods: We combined two datasets, including 1,124 quantitative telephone surveys and 28 qualitative semistructured interviews with female Venezuelan migrant caregivers in Colombia – the primary destination for Venezuelan migrants globally – to characterize the prevalence of psychological distress and symptoms of depression and anxiety, key predictors of illness, and experiences with the healthcare system, using a convergent parallel design. Results: We found that a high number of respondents experienced symptoms of moderate-to-severe distress (63%), depression (18%) and anxiety (28%). Across datasets, financial stressors, experiences of discrimination, family separation experiences and history with other health and chronic diseases significantly worsened mental health. Both datasets also showed the protective impacts of social support and mental healthcare from informal sources. Conclusion: This study highlights the critical mental healthcare needs of female Venezuelan migrant caregivers residing in Colombia.
There are differences in IgA responses to tryptophan catabolites (TRYCATs) in major neurocognitive psychosis (MNP) versus simple neurocognitive psychosis (SNP) and normal controls. MNP and SNP are distinct schizophrenia classes which are differentiated by neurocognitive deficits, phenome features, and biomarker pathways. Nevertheless, there is no data on serum concentrations of those TRYCATs in MNP and SNP. The aim of the present study is to examine serum concentrations of tryptophan and TRYCATs in MNP versus SNP and controls.
Methods:
This case-control study examines serum levels of tryptophan and TRYCATs in 52 MNP patients, 68 SNP patients and 60 controls in association with overall severity of schizophrenia (OSOS).
Results:
MNP patients show lower tryptophan, kynurenic acid (KA), 3-OH-anthranilic acid (3HAA), and higher anthranilic acid (AA) and quinolinic acid (QA) than SNP patients and controls. There were no differences between SNP and controls in these TRYCATs. Kynurenine (KYN) was lower in MNP+SNP than in controls. We found that 36.5% of the variance in OSOS was explained by the combined effects of lowered tryptophan, KA, and 3-HK, and increased QA and AA. The most important biomarkers of MNP and OSOS were the QA/KA ratio followed by the QA/3HAA ratio.
Conclusions:
The alterations in serum TRYCAT levels further emphasize that MNP and SNP represent two biologically distinct subtypes of schizophrenia. The reductions in TRYCATs diminish the antioxidant and immunoregulatory functions of the TRYCAT pathway. Elevated QA levels may exacerbate the disruption of the blood-brain barrier and the immune-related and oxidative neurotoxicity in MNP.
The environment shapes the risk of psychosis. In particular, urbanicity, deprivation or inequality, migrant density and cannabis availability may not only influence psychosis incidence, but also the characteristics of individuals who arrive at clinical services. This study examined how socioeconomic factors influence the incidence and characteristics of cases of First-Episode Psychosis (FEP).
Methods
We analysed prospective data collected from the FEP early detection programme of Emilia-Romagna, a high-income Italian region. Participants were 1240 individuals aged 18–35 years, who presented at the public healthcare services for a FEP. Exposures were derived from area-level data of 331 municipalities. We used population density, socioeconomic deprivation, educational deprivation, economic inequality, migrant density (proportion of migrants), frequent cannabis use (proportion of people aged 15–19 years old who reported frequent cannabis use). Outcome measures were FEP incidence (cases/100 000 inhabitants at risk per year) and characteristics (age of onset, migrant status, unemployment, substance use, treatment lag [DUP], family and resource problems). We reviewed pertinent literature, and formulated a Directed Acyclic Graph to present causal assumptions and provide adjustment sets for Bayesian spatial and multilevel models of social causation. To compare the effects of different exposures, we computed Average Marginal Effects and report the outcome changes that correspond to one standard deviation change of the exposure, incidence rate ratios (IRR) or odds ratios (OR).
Results
The exposures and incidence of FEP displayed heterogeneous spatial distribution, with no spatially organized pattern. Accordingly, incidence and characteristics were best modelled as non-spatial, three-level hierarchical models. The incidence of FEP was influenced by population density (IRR, 1.14; 95% CrI, 1.03; 1.29), educational deprivation (IRR, 1.15; 95% CrI, 1.02; 1.31) and frequent cannabis use (IRR, 1.31; 95% CrI, 0.98; 1.82), more than socioeconomic deprivation. Higher migrant density in an area shortened the DUP on average by 3.4 months (95% CrI, −1.122; 0.76), while an increase of cannabis use of one standard deviation increased the DUP of 12.9 months (95% CrI, −2.86; 6229). Socioeconomic deprivation increased the likelihood of FEP cases being substance users (OR, 1.12; 95% CrI, 1.01; 1.26), while population density decreased it (OR, 0.91; 95% CrI, 0.83; 1.00).
Conclusions
Area-level socioeconomic features affect both the incidence and the characteristics of FEP, including the probability of individual being migrants, substance users or having a different DUP. Educational deprivation may function as a proxy for culture- or cognitive-related factors. Area-level socioeconomic data may inform public healthcare strategies for early identification and availability of tertiary clinical services.
In June 2025, Ethiopia implemented a comprehensive nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags to address the growing plastic pollution crisis and to promote sustainable waste management practices. This perspective article critically examines the role of public perception and behavioral compliance in shaping the success of the ban on single-use plastic bags in Ethiopia. Drawing on policy analysis, public discourse and anticipated public perception, this study examines the potential key challenges that could hinder the effective implementation of the ban, including limited public awareness, socioeconomic disparities, lack of affordable alternatives and weak enforcement mechanisms. It also examines how cultural norms, infrastructure limitations and fragmented communication strategies impede policy adoption. The challenges faced in enforcing plastic ban, along with insights from both successful and failed strategies in comparable societies and economies of some developing countries, have been highlighted and explained, offering valuable guidance and lessons for Ethiopia. The article concludes by providing context-specific recommendations, including multichannel awareness campaigns, economic incentives, institutional capacity building and community-driven engagement strategies. The findings can provide critical insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to enhance policy effectiveness and foster behavioral transitions in Ethiopia and other developing nations.
This manuscript documents the Presidential Address of Jan Janoušek as the incoming President of the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) 2025–2028.
The Levine–Tristram signature admits a µ-variable extension for µ-component links: it was first defined as an integer-valued function on $(S^1\setminus\{1\})^\mu$, and recently extended to the full torus $\mathbb{T}^\mu$. The aim of the present article is to study and use this extended signature. Firstly, we show that it is constant on the connected components of the complement of the zero locus of some renormalized Alexander polynomial. Then, we prove that the extended signature is a concordance invariant on an explicit dense subset of $\mathbb{T}^\mu$. Finally, as an application, we present an infinite family of three-component links with the following property: these links are not concordant to their mirror image, a fact that can be detected neither by the non-extended signatures, nor by the multivariable Alexander polynomial, nor by the Milnor triple linking number.