The RECOVER Clinical Trials Protocol Working Groups (PWGs) were established to rapidly design trials addressing Long COVID by incorporating the complementary expertise of researchers, clinicians, and patients, caregivers, and community representatives (Representatives). This paper explores the engagement of Representatives in protocol development, highlighting their contributions, challenges faced, and lessons learned. A survey of PWG members revealed that while most Representatives felt their input was valued, gaps in role clarity, communication, and integration of feedback persisted. Representatives emphasized the importance of understanding patient burden and lived experience, while researchers and project leaders noted the value of inclusive perspectives. Findings underscore the need for structured engagement practices, clear expectations, and ongoing support to ensure meaningful participation. These insights offer a roadmap for future clinical trial networks seeking to integrate patient voices in research design.

In this article, we study the pressure at infinity of potentials defined over countable Markov shifts. We establish an upper semi-continuity result concerning the limiting behaviour of the pressure of invariant probability measures, where the escape of mass is controlled by the pressure at infinity. As a consequence, we establish criteria for the existence of equilibrium states and maximizing measures for uniformly continuous potentials. Additionally, we study the pressure at infinity of suspension flows defined over countable Markov shifts and prove an upper semi-continuity result for the pressure map.

This meta-analysis investigates the contributions of viewing audiovisual input on second language (L2) learning. We calculated 75 effect sizes from 56 experiments (n = 1954) and assessed the effects of audiovisual input on language learning using a within-group (pre-post) meta-analytic approach. Fifteen moderator variables were included in the analysis. Results showed that a) there was a small effect of audiovisual input on L2 learning (g = .89); b) no differences were found between the effects of viewing audiovisual input on different areas of L2 learning (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, speaking, listening proficiency); and c) video category had a significant impact on L2 learning with entertainment-focused videos (e.g., TV series, movies, and mixed videos) yielding lower effects than educational videos (e.g., TED Talks, documentaries, and language-focused).

Within the dynamic realm of historiography and the generation of knowledge, the process of “Becoming Independent” serves as a profound testament to the tenacity and resolve exhibited by a wide array of intellectual communities in their efforts to confront and transform established narratives. This afterword explores the themes in this special issue, which not only offers a critical analysis of historiographical practices from both past and present but also emphasises the imperative for ongoing dedication in the endeavour to cultivate diverse and independent historical narratives. By discussing the different articles of this collection, the afterword explores shared themes, such as the decoloniality of historical scholarship through ethnographic inquiry, prospects of de-emphasising the Eurocentric gaze, fragmentation of history as evidence of varied epistemological sovereignties, and the decolonial agenda through “white expatriates.” By doing so, this Afterword serves as a resounding appeal for the continuous pursuit of intellectual liberation.

Punching shear failure in slab-column connections is a brittle collapse mode that threatens the safety of flat reinforced concrete (RC) slabs. Conventional design provisions are generally conservative but exhibit inconsistencies across geometric and material variations. This study develops an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model to predict the ultimate punching shear capacity of flat RC slabs, using a database of experimental results categorized by four different geometric domains, including square slab with square column, circular slab with circular column, square slab with circular column, and circular slab with square column, covering the geometric, materials strength, and reinforcement properties of input parameters. The model achieved high predictive accuracy across the domains with coefficient of determination (R2) values > 0.930 in unseen testing datasets with minimal bias (0.994–1.006) and reduced scatter. Model interpretability, addressed through the SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis, confirmed slab thickness and average effective depth as the most critical predictors of shear capacity, followed by concrete strength and reinforcement parameters, while boundary condition parameters showed negligible influence due to the predominance of interior column cases. These findings demonstrate that XGBoost provides accurate, reliable, and interpretable predictions of punching shear capacity, offering a data-driven alternative to code-based methods and supporting safer and more consistent design of flat RC slabs.

Cooperative Extension provides research-based outreach to the public, making it a valuable resource for translation scientists. Herein, we describe a collaboration between Cooperative Extension and the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University that resulted in widespread dissemination of novel nutrition education materials. Short videos (3 to 5 minutes each) for the public, healthcare professionals and patients focused on using spices and herbs (S&H) to decrease sodium, saturated fat (SFA), and added sugars, and improve diet quality were developed and evaluated. The videos were effective in improving knowledge about S&H, intent to use them, and making healthy diet changes.

Multiple rounds of European Union (EU) enlargement and the rise of the populist radical right have affected the organisation of political competition in the European Parliament (EP). This study probes how the EU’s efforts to redress democratic backsliding in several EU member states crystallise deepening divides between European lawmakers. Our empirical analysis examines 17 roll-call votes on rule of law issues and well over 900 discursive statements from corresponding parliamentary debates held between 2009 and 2019. Our unique approach enables us to analyse discursive and voting patterns both separately and jointly to understand how they affect each other. We find that behaviour across these different arenas is generally consistent and aligns with an ideological divide that pits Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) against representatives from pro-EU European party groups. Once we account for ideological orientations and strategic motivations, the often-claimed East–West divide on rule of law issues becomes much less salient, emerging primarily under specific conditions of ongoing democratic erosion and national incumbency in Central and Eastern Europe. Our findings speak to the literature on EU responses to democratic backsliding as well as to the changing dynamics of political competition in the EU more broadly.

A response to the Classical Association’s Write | Speak | Design Competition 2025. A short essay presenting an argument which passionately asserts the centrality of classical education as providing the tools to make sense of the world at a pivotal socio-economic and political juncture, from the perspective of the author, a 16-year-old state school student in a school without classics provision. Emphasising the continued relevance of Classics in modern life through its relation to critical thinking, social mobility, and cultural capital, this essay advocates for the prioritisation of Classics in the modern curriculum. The author argues that the skills developed through the study of Classics, such as linguistic analysis, debate, and source criticism, are essential in providing tools to navigate misinformation and political polarisation. The essay highlights the cultural and intellectual legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome, asserting that lack of access to this education limits students’ cultural capital by decontextualising their understanding of literature, art, and history. Furthermore, the essay addresses the author’s experience of gendered and classist disparities in Classics education, highlighting the urgency for an increased advocacy and resource allocation to make Classical studies more accessible and inclusive in mainstream education.

Hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (L.F.) Royle] is a known, persistent aquatic weed in many lakes and reservoirs across the United States. Recently, focus has been placed on the management of invasions of H. verticillata into flowing systems due to increased difficulty in achieving effective control. In flowing environments, increased flow and water exchange rates commonly result in shorter herbicide exposure times using traditional application techniques. This research evaluated the concept of intermittent herbicide exposure as a potential management strategy to overcome operational challenges in high water exchange environments. Monoecious H. verticillata response to intermittent exposure to florpyrauxifen-benzyl, endothall, and fluridone at multiple concentrations and nontreatment intervals was evaluated in greenhouse-scale mesocosm experiments. Decreased efficacy was not observed when nontreatment intervals between exposures were introduced in florpyrauxifen-benzyl treatments. Monoecious H. verticillata treated with 30 µg ai L−1 florpyrauxifen-benzyl and a 6-d nontreatment interval resulted in 89% reduction in aboveground biomass. Nontreatment intervals did not influence endothall efficacy and biomass reduction increased with herbicide concentration (66% to 93%). Fluridone treatments at 5 µg L−1 resulted in 82% biomass reduction, while treatments at 10 and 15 µg L−1 resulted in 89% biomass reduction. Biomass reduction was slightly lower in fluridone applications with a 12-d nontreatment interval (83%) compared with other nontreatment intervals (85% to 91%). The high biomass reduction and similar response between treatments observed suggests the need for additional refinement and operational verification of intermittent herbicide exposures for monoecious H. verticillata control to increase cost-effectiveness and efficiency in public H. verticillata control programs.

In high-precision pulsar timing, the accurate recovery of intrinsic pulsar profiles and their associated scattering parameters is of paramount importance. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study focused on the retrieval of intrinsic pulsar profiles through the use of a CLEAN-based algorithm as described in Bhat et al. (2003, ApJ, 584, 782). The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the capabilities of our pipeline in the context of recovering the intrinsic profiles and associated parameters, such as dispersion measure, frequency scaling index, scattering time, pulse broadening function, and time of arrival residuals. We use simulated profiles to rigorously test and validate the efficiency of our recovery pipeline. These simulated profiles encompass single- and multi-component Gaussians, designed to emulate the diverse nature of pulsar profiles. By comparing the recovered profiles and parameters to their injected values, as derived from simulations, we provide a robust evaluation of the pipeline’s performance along with its drawbacks and limitations.

A computable topological presentation of a space is given by an effective list of a countable basis of non-empty open sets so that the intersection of the basic sets is uniformly effectively enumerable. We show that every countably-based $T_0$-space has a computable topological presentation, and that, conversely, every (formal) computable topological presentation represents some Polish space. In the compact case, we give a computable uniform list of computable topological presentations such that every compact Polish space is represented by exactly one presentation from the list. Note that none of these results assume that the Polish (or $T_0$) spaces are effective. Quite surprisingly, the effectively compact topological presentations turn out to be rather well behaved. Not only do such presentations allow one to construct a $\Delta ^0_2$ (complete) metric compatible with the topology, but also, under a mild extra condition, they can be turned into a computably compact Polish presentation of the space.