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Snow cover influences sea ice thermodynamics and mass balance, making its distribution and properties critical to polar research. Grounded icebergs in coastal Antarctica substantially affect surface snow distribution and landfast sea ice patterns, which have received limited scientific attention. To address this gap, this study integrates airborne laser scanning observations with numerical snow transport simulations to investigate snow distribution on landfast ice around icebergs, emphasizing the influence of wind and iceberg size. Observations show that persistent wind directions shape characteristic snow patterns around icebergs, with substantial windward and lateral drifts and an elongated snow-depleted region in the lee. Data further reveal that snowdrift size scales nonlinearly with iceberg size, indicating reduced snow accumulation efficiency for larger icebergs, which simulations partially captured. This study also highlights the key role of wind direction shifts in reproducing measured snow distributions and suggests that the maximum extent of snowdrifts is constrained by peak wind speeds encountered on site. Together, our findings show that iceberg-induced snowdrifts connect ice shelf and fast ice dynamics, reflect local wind conditions and provide key insights into snow mass balance on Antarctic landfast sea ice.
Due to occupational exposures, healthcare professionals (HCPs) face an increased risk of infectious diseases, particularly in low-resource settings. Despite infection prevention and control (IPC) policies, systemic and behavioral barriers exist in Cameroon. This study assessed the uptake of occupational vaccines (hepatitis B and COVID-19) and IPC knowledge among HCPs in Fako Division of Cameroon.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2024 among 276 HCPs from four health facilities in Fako Division. Data were collected using a pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regressions were employed to identify predictors of good IPC knowledge and combined vaccine uptake. Significance was set at a P value of <.05.
Results:
Hepatitis B vaccine uptake was 67.4%, while COVID-19 was 32.6%. Doctors had the lowest hepatitis B vaccine uptake (50.7%), while midwives had the lowest COVID-19 vaccine uptake (25.0%), compared with other healthcare cadres. Only 34.8% of HCPs demonstrated good IPC knowledge, despite high reported access to personal protective equipment (PPE) (87.3%) and IPC guidelines (87%). Older age (aOR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.33–4.39) and previous occupational exposures (aOR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.17–3.93) were significantly associated with combined vaccine uptake. PPE availability (aOR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.04–6.74), >7 years of work experience (aOR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.11–9.35), and contract employment status (aOR: 4.40, 95% CI: 1.47–13.21) were predictors of good IPC knowledge.
Conclusion:
The study highlights gaps in occupational vaccine uptake and IPC knowledge among HCPs in Fako, with significant disparities across professional cadres. There is an urgent need for integrated, experience-based IPC training and targeted vaccine advocacy.
According to the Roy–Borjas model, the most talented workers will choose to migrate to countries exhibiting high income inequalities to achieve the highest earnings. The purpose of this article is to highlight that income inequalities in the country of origin, particularly the nature of inequalities, will affect high-skilled emigration. If the home country rewards productive efforts and sanctions unproductive behaviours (such as rent-seeking), emigration declines. We test this hypothesis by relying on panel data of 30 OECD countries for the period from 1990 to 2010. Two econometric techniques are used: the ordinary least squares and the system-Generalized Method of Moments estimation to tackle the endogeneity issue. The results show that when income inequalities in the home country are conditioned by the institutions’ quality, there is a negative relationship between inequalities and high-skilled emigration, suggesting that productive inequalities are detrimental to emigration. Thus, developed countries facing high-skilled emigration must change the nature of inequalities by reforming their institutions in order to attract and retain the most talented workers. Implementing institutions that reward productive efforts would limit high-skilled emigration.
In a puzzling passage from his computistical handbook, Byrhtferth of Ramsey asks his students to imagine the Venerable Bede sitting in Moses’ tabernacle and teaching them about the calculation of time. This article considers how Bede was portrayed as a mediator of divine wisdom about computus in Byrhtferth’s Enchiridion and Epilogus, culminating in Bede’s elevation to the eternal space of the tabernacle. Building on Mary Carruthers’ ‘machines of meditation’ and Faith Wallis’ work on Byrhtferth’s diagrams as ‘visual exegesis’, it argues that a collection of riddling references to the tabernacle across Byrhtferth’s canon amount to a cosmography in which the tabernacle is conceived as an exegetical model for God’s presence in time and space.
The description of riblets and other drag-reducing devices has long used the concept of longitudinal and transverse protrusion heights, both as a means to predict the drag reduction itself and as equivalent boundary conditions to simplify numerical simulations by transferring the effect of riblets onto a flat virtual boundary. The limitation of this idea is that it stems from a first-order approximation in the riblet-size parameter $s^+$, and as a consequence it cannot predict other than a linear dependence of drag reduction upon $s^+$; in other words, the initial slope of the drag-reduction curve. Here the concept is extended to a full asymptotic expansion using matched asymptotics, which consistently provides higher-order protrusion coefficients and higher-order equivalent boundary conditions on a virtual flat surface. While the majority of this expansion, though nonlinear in $s^+$, remains linear in velocity, and therefore we shall not directly address the shape of the drag-reduction curve, this procedure will also allow us to explore the way nonlinearities of the Navier–Stokes equations first enter the $s^+$ expansion, with somewhat surprising negative results.
The accuracy obtained with computational fluid dynamics and process simulations of flotation critically depends on the quality and robustness of the underlying models for the non-resolved subprocesses. An important issue in flotation is the collision between particles and air bubbles. Many models have been developed, but their accuracy for applications in flotation is limited. In particular, the significant size difference between particles and bubbles and their intricate coupling to the turbulent flow field pose severe challenges. The present paper first reviews presently employed collision models, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages when applied to flotation. On this basis, the `integrated multisize collision model’ (IMSC) is proposed. After a detailed evaluation, it combines existing approaches from various sources and introduces new developments designed to address present shortcomings. The model is validated by own direct numerical simulation data as well as data from the literature. It is shown that, overall, the IMSC provides better predictions for the collision rate in typical flotation conditions than presently employed collision models and covers the entire parameter range of the flotation process very well. Using the available data, some of the underlying modelling assumptions are validated. Finally, a comprehensive overview of the model is provided for further use in Euler–Euler frameworks or process simulations also beyond flotation.
This symposium grew out of dissatisfaction with the existing theories of institutions. Notwithstanding significant progress in the analysis of the macro-institutions through which systemic rules and norms are established and the micro-institutions through which actors decide and implement transactions within the playing field thus defined, researchers working along one or the other dimension faced a critical and largely unanswered question: how to bridge the gap between these two institutional layers? The selected articles assembled in this issue came out of efforts to identify and understand within a unified theoretical framework the arrangements through which these layers interact. Building on contributions in economics and other social sciences as well as from in-depth empirical studies, these articles explore the relevance of the concept of ‘meso-institutions’ to designate and characterize the devices (e.g. regulatory agencies) and mechanisms (e.g. guidelines) that connect the macro- and micro-institutional layers.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, progressive, and fatal disease that impacts the lives of affected individuals and their caregivers. Informal caregivers play a crucial role in supporting people with ALS (pwALS), yet they face major challenges. This study aims to analyze caregiver burden and health status among informal caregivers of pwALS in Portugal.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted with adult informal caregivers of pwALS in Portugal, recruited through the Portuguese ALS patient association and healthcare professionals. Data included sociodemographics, caregiving activities, caregiver health (SF-36), patient functional status (ALSFRS-R), and caregiver burden (ZBI).
Results
The study included 113 caregivers. Most were female (61.9%) and the partner (65.5%) or offspring (23.9%) of the pwALS. A quarter of caregivers received no social benefits. Mean ZBI was 32 ± 14.8, with most reporting mild to moderate burden. On the SF-36, general health was 51.1 ± 19.8, with mental health (55 [40; 70]) and vitality (43.8 [31.3; 56.3]) particularly impaired. ZBI scores correlated positively with caregiving hours (r = 0.274, p = 0.003) and negatively with ALSFRS-R (r = −0.411, p < 0.001). High burden caregivers exhibited poorer sleep quality (p = 0.026).
Significance of results
Caregivers experienced mild to moderate burden, with impaired mental health and vitality, but preserved physical functioning. A higher burden was linked with lower quality of life, poorer sleep, and greater patient disability. These findings underline the need for targeted education and training to support caregivers of pwALS.
Regardless of whether one is analyzing quantitative data from research involving generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) or more classical methods, testing for normality remains a necessary step in statistical analysis. Although over 60 methods have been proposed for assessing univariate normality, previous systematic reviews show that normality testing remains underreported in L2 research. This paper addresses this gap by first reviewing the concept of normality and its role in parametric statistical inference. We then examine 12 normality assessment methods including five graphical and seven analytical methods selected based on their prominence in statistical literature and availability in commonly used software. Each method is explained in terms of its underlying mechanism and sensitivity to specific forms of nonnormality, such as skewness, tail heaviness, and multimodality. In the second part of the study, we review 237 empirical articles published between 2020 and 2025 in ten selected L2-focused Q1 journals, using AI-assisted annotation. Our findings reveal inconsistencies in how graphical tests are reported, a tendency to rely on tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov without explicit attention to sample size constraints, and limited justification provided for critical values of skewness and kurtosis. These results indicate some divergence between recommended statistical practices and the procedures for normality testing reported in the L2 publications examined. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for selecting and interpreting normality tests in L2 research contexts.
Effective flood hazard communication is essential for improving public preparedness and response. However, traditional metrics, such as return periods (e.g., 100-year flood) or percentage probabilities, often lead to misinterpretation and reduced public engagement. This study introduces the Nines of Safety (NoS), a novel logarithmic-scale metric designed to improve the clarity and accessibility of flood risk communication. Inspired by reliability engineering and rooted in probabilistic theory, the NoS framework quantifies the probability of avoiding a flood event using the number of consecutive 9 s in its success rate (e.g., 90% = 1 NoS, 99% = 2 NoS), offering an intuitive and scalable measure for both technical and public audiences. This study operationalizes the NoS framework by integrating key geophysical indicators- – elevation, slope, land use and drainage density – and examines how these variables influence flood susceptibility over time. Additionally, it incorporates socioeconomic variables to reflect layered vulnerability, demonstrating that prolonged exposure amplifies risk and gradually erodes safety. A case-based application in Iowa City, Iowa, compares derived NoS scores with the Social Vulnerability Index and reveals a moderate inverse correlation (Pearson’s r = −0.52), supporting the framework’s validity for social risk assessment. The NoS framework offers potential to bridge the gap between technical assessment and community-level flood communication by providing a standardized, intuitive representation of safety probabilities. However, its validation remains limited to a single urban case study; future research should test its performance across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts.
The rapidly growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa necessitates a better understanding of access gaps along the care continuum. This study assessed the prevalence and inequality in unmet need for hypertension and diabetes care in Tanzania, South Africa, and Lesotho using a care cascade framework.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative Demographic Health Survey (DHS) datasets from Tanzania (2022), South Africa (2016), and Lesotho (2023/24), focusing on adults aged 15 years and older. The study estimated the proportion of adults with hypertension or diabetes who had not been screened, diagnosed, treated, or achieved disease control. Inequality was assessed using Erreygers Normalized Concentration Indices (ENCI), stratified by sex and residence.
Results:
Hypertension prevalence was 12.6% (95% CI: 11.7–13.4) in Tanzania, 46.7% (95% CI: 45.0–48.4) in South Africa, and 15.4% (95% CI: 13.8–17.2) in Lesotho. In Lesotho, 9.1% (95% CI: 7.8–10.6) of adults had diabetes. Unmet need was substantial across all countries: 96.5% for hypertension in Tanzania, 84.2% in South Africa, 65.8% in Lesotho, and 84.2% for diabetes in Lesotho. The care cascade framework revealed critical bottle-necks at screening and treatment stages. Inequality analyses revealed strong pro-poor gradients, particularly in screening (ENCIs: Tanzania −0.19, South Africa −0.17, Lesotho hypertension −0.15, Lesotho diabetes −0.24; all p < 0.01), with poor men experiencing the most disparities.
Conclusion:
Substantial and inequitable gaps exist in hypertension and diabetes care. Policy strategies should prioritize community-based screening, primary care integration, and equity-focused interventions targeting poor men to improve NCD outcomes in the region.
In a sample of early post-menarchal female adolescents, this study examined sleep regularity in relation to depression symptoms, circadian rhythms, and chronotype preference. Sixty-six female adolescents, aged 11–14 and within fifteen months post-menarche, completed a one-week sleep and circadian rhythm assessment involving self-reported sleep behaviors, 24-h sleep monitoring using wrist actigraphy, and serial cortisol and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin collections for four days. Sleep regularity was operationalized as the probability of being in the same wake/sleep state at any two timepoints 24 h apart (i.e., sleep regularity index (SRI)). Reduced SRI was associated with higher depressive symptoms (F [1,273] = 18.65, p = < .0001), as were eveningness chronotype (F [1,273] = 21.13, p = < .0001), sleep duration (F [1,273] = 6.25, p = .01), and self-reported life stress (F [1,273] = 22.82, p = < .0001). The interaction between SRI and chronotype was also a predictor of increased depression (F [1,273] = 18.65, p = < .0001), such that eveningness and low sleep regularity predicted higher scores. Sleep regularity was not significantly associated with cortisol awakening response, cortisol slope, or overnight melatonin levels. Sleep regularity appears linked to altered mood in early post-menarchal girls. Further research linking sleep regularity to physiological processes governing sleep is warranted. Interventions targeting sleep regularity stand to improve mental health outcomes, as well as promote healthy developmental trajectories for affect regulation.
While current discussions of insect production emphasize sustainability benefits, research on consumer attitudes toward livestock production reveals that animal welfare concerns often equal or exceed environmental considerations in purchasing decisions. This article examines trends in consumer attitudes toward farm animal welfare in North America and Europe to anticipate potential challenges to the emerging insect industry’s social license to operate and then applies those trends to black soldier fly production. The analysis suggests that as public awareness grows, welfare concerns will likely emerge as a determinant of industry acceptance. Proactively addressing the most emotionally salient welfare issues—particularly those involving visible suffering or perceived unnaturalness—represents a strategic investment in maintaining consumer trust.
One of the most robust empirical findings in political science is that in multiparty democracies cabinet ministries are distributed in rough proportion to parties’ legislative seat shares, a pattern known as Gamson’s Law. Yet existing research often overlooks the fact that portfolio and seat shares are compositional—mutually dependent parts of a whole. Standard methods treat them as unconstrained, risking bias, misleading uncertainty estimates, and flawed inference. Unfortunately, the most common strategy for handling compositions—the additive log-ratio (ALR) transformation combined with seemingly unrelated regression (SUR)—fails when the number and identity of compositional elements (like parties) vary across cases. We propose the isometric log-ratio (ILR) transformation—new to political science—as an alternative that both respects compositional geometry and adapts to differing compositional structures. Monte Carlo simulations show that ILR sharply outperforms standard approaches, reducing bias, improving coverage probability, and increasing statistical power. While we apply it to portfolio allocation, ILR provides a general solution for modeling compositional outcomes with other potential uses, including in electoral competition, where ALR+SUR has required strong assumptions or ad hoc adjustments. Using this improved methodology, we find that seat–portfolio proportionality is weaker overall than conventionally reported and varies substantially across governments.
Alors que les violations des droits des travailleurs ont été à l’origine du processus de juridicisation de la responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE) dont l’ultime étape a été de fonder la responsabilité juridique des entreprises donneuses d’ordres et sociétés mères, aucune allusion n’y est faite dans le texte de l’emblématique loi française du 27 mars 2017. Cette invisibilisation du travail s’est doublée de silences et d’ambiguïtés sur le rôle des représentants des travailleurs dans le processus de corégulation au cœur duquel se trouve le plan de vigilance. C’est pourquoi les syndicats ont dû s’imposer aux entreprises en utilisant les ressources de la loi de 2017 et des normes internationales de RSE pour faire reconnaitre leur légitimité à être associé comme partie prenante soit via la saisine du juge soit par la négociation collective transnationale.
Theoretical analysis of an energy barrier model for the electrical properties of a biological membrane yields new results. Discontinuities at the membrane-solution interfaces are crucial and receive careful attention, as does the polarization charge density due to electroneutral but polarized ion distributions. The topics explored include the equilibrium and time-dependent Nernst potential, the resting potential, the capacitance-resistance equation for membrane voltage, and large electrical effects on osmosis (bulk volume flow). The generalization of Nernst–Hartley salt diffusion to the diffusion of mixed salts as a necessary tool is accomplished. The electric field inside the membrane is especially strong at the membrane-solution interfaces. The analysis of the resting potential differs from the Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz formulation but predicts realistic numerical values for animal cells and also captures the effect of switching sodium and potassium ion permeabilities. An analysis of the physical basis of bulk water flow in the presence of impermeant and permeant ions, that is, Donnan osmosis, reveals large ion charge effects that have not previously been considered. The equation derived here for Donnan osmotic flow helps to explain why the action of the sodium pump is essential for the prevention of excessive osmotic stress on cellular membranes.
Critical discussion of empire and imperialism has become a key theme in international relations. Much confusion, however, is generated by a lack of consensus on the meaning of imperialism. This paper offers one avenue for clarifying the terms of debate by reconstructing the conceptual history of imperialism from its inception in the late nineteenth century to post-war IR theory. In its initial formulation at the turn of the twentieth century, the theory of imperialism sought to analyse the interplay of capitalist development and geopolitical conflict in the formation and reproduction of international hierarchies. Immediately after World War I, however, an intellectual counter-revolution narrowed the concept into a synonym of colonialism, or the formal rule and administration of subject territory. As anti-colonial struggles won independence in the post-war period, imperialism was increasingly understood as a thing of the past. The paper argues that this conceptual narrowing remains an obstacle to contemporary theorizing, and that a rereading of the classical theories can strengthen contemporary IR frameworks. A key implication of this argument is that renewing the theory of imperialism in IR entails a reintegration of political economy and security studies.
En 2021, avec l’adoption de la Loi modernisant le régime de santé et de sécurité du travail, le législateur québécois a introduit l’obligation pour tous les employeurs de prévenir les risques psychosociaux du travail (RPS). Le présent texte brossera un portrait de l’architecture du droit qui prend en compte les RPS du travail et leurs effets. Les autrices et auteur du texte mettront ensuite en dialogue les résultats de leur recherche respective, lesquelles traitent toutes de la santé mentale au travail, afin d’interroger l’effectivité du droit entourant la prise en charge des RPS. Ce texte sera l’occasion d’étudier le rôle, la marge de manœuvre et les pouvoirs de certains acteurs du monde du travail (gestionnaires, syndicats, organismes administratifs). Y seront détaillés des exemples de bonnes pratiques de même que les limites du cadre législatif, les défis qui demeurent et les perspectives d’amélioration en vue d’assurer un encadrement exhaustif et effectif des RPS.