Drop shafts play a vital role in urban drainage and tunnel sewerage systems. To gain an insight into the magnitude of transient flow fluctuations inside a drop shaft attached to a scroll vortex intake, large eddy simulations (LESs) are performed in this study. First, the LES predictions are validated against experimental data from Guo (2012), demonstrating good agreement for both the time-averaged head-discharge relationship and the minimum air-core percentage. Subsequently, the transient fluctuations of the air core inside the drop shaft are investigated, with the worst-case scenario being choking of the air core inside the drop shaft, which might lead to a grave consequence to the system response. The transient fluctuations of the air core are found to have up to 13 % variation in the non-dimensional air-core area due to dynamic contraction and expansion. Additionally, velocity characteristics at different vertical and angular locations within the drop shaft are analysed, offering new insights into vortex structures and challenging assumptions from existing analytical models. The transient simulation results also reveal a global vortex structure together with embedded small-scale vortices using the $\Omega$-criterion vortex identification method.

This article examines the notions of productivity and creativity with respect to complex verbs in English. Verb-forming suffixation involves the attachment of the suffixes ‑ize, ‑ify, -en and -ate to a base to form complex verbs such as hospitalize, densify, sharpen and hyphenate. Sampson (2016) describes productive processes that conform to existing patterns as F-creativity, or Fixed-creativity, and those that deviate from those patterns as E-creativity, or Enlarging/Extending creativity; Bergs (2018) and Uhrig (2018) view the F–E dichotomy as a cline. Coercion effects can account for linguistic productivity and creativity; Audring & Booij (2016) propose that the coercive mechanisms of Selection, Enrichment and Override lie on a unified continuum. This article integrates the F–E creativity and coercion continua, and analyses a database of conventionalized and recently coined complex verbs (Laws 2023) for instances of coercion. The results reveal that coercive mechanisms, particularly Selection and Enrichment, facilitate productivity and creativity in more complex constructional schemas underlying verbal derivatives, and that these coercive patterns have become increasingly more entrenched over time. E-creativity of complex verbs is defined here as ‘Unruly’ coercion and the nature of attested examples is discussed.

Unhealthy diet-related behaviour is linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and therefore people at increased-risk of CRC are advised to follow healthy dietary recommendations. Assessing disparities in diet quality based on sociodemographic factors could help to tailor dietary interventions(1). We aimed to determine the relationship between diet quality and sociodemographic factors in people at increased risk of CRC. This was a cross-sectional study including adults at increased risk of CRC due to a prior history of colorectal neoplasia and/or a known significant family history of CRC. Participants completed a survey including the Australian Eating Survey (AES)(2), and collection of demographic characteristics including age, gender, education, and socioeconomic indices (SEI) from Oct 2023 to July 2024. The AES survey was used to calculate diet quality using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS)(2). The ARFS was calculated by summing the eight sub-scales that includes vegetables, protein foods, breads/cereals, dairy foods, water, and spreads/sauces. The total ARFS ranges from 0–73, with a higher score indicating a higher diet quality. Associations between diet quality and sociodemographic factors were determined using a log Poisson regression model with robust variance estimation. 1940 individuals (52% female) completed the survey. The median age was 67.44 years (IQR: 59.56 ± 72.66), with 11.49% (n = 223) aged under 50 years, 86.0% (n = 1669) aged 50–79 years and 2.5% (n = 48) aged over 79 years. The mean (± SD) ARFS was 28.76 ± 10.48 points. The ARFS did not significantly differ with gender (males: 29.0 ± 10.57; females: 28.6 ± 10.36), family history of CRC (family history: 28.7 ± 10.55; no family history: 28.8 ± 10.44), or SEI (higher tertile: 28.76 ± 10.41; lower tertile: 28.92 ± 10.65) (p > 0.05). Diet quality was associated with age, with ARFS lower in younger (18–49y) (28.72 ± 10.18) than older (80–89y) participants (31.19 ± 8.5) (p < 0.05). Regarding dietary components, dairy intake was lower in females than males (Relative Risk (RR) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90–0.99), while individuals with the middle SEI tertile had lower fruit intake compared with the highest tertile (RR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.84–0.99), and those left school before year 12 had lower vegetable intake, compared to those with tertiary education (RR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.13). This study has shown that individuals at elevated risk for CRC have a quality of diet that is poorer than the general population, with greater disparities seen in young individuals. Further differences were observed in dairy, vegetable and fruit intakes based on sex, education, and socioeconomic status. There is a need for further promotion of dietary interventions in people at elevated risk for CRC.

Indirect calorimetry (IC) is regarded as the benchmark for measuring resting energy expenditure (REE)(1) but validity and reliability in adults with overweight or obesity have not been systematically appraised(2). The aim of our research was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of IC for REE in adults with overweight or obesity. A rapid systematic review was conducted. PubMed and Web of Science were searched to December 2023. Eligible studies measured REE by IC in adults with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 or mean BMI > 30 kg/m2) reporting validity and/or reliability. Studies were selected using Covidence and critically appraised using the CASP diagnostic study checklist. From n = 4022 records, n = 21 studies utilising n = 13 different IC devices were included (n = 10 reported concurrent validity, n = 7 reported predictive validity, n = 7 reported reliability). A hand-held IC had poor validity and inconsistent reliability (n = 6 studies). Standard desktop-based ICs (n = 9 devices) were examined by across n = 18 studies; most demonstrated high validity, predictive ability, and good to excellent reliability. An IC accelerometer showed weak validity (n = 1 study); a body composition-based IC showed strong validity (n = 1 study); and a whole-room IC demonstrated excellent reliability (n = 1 study). Standard desktop-based IC demonstrated the most consistent validity, predictive ability, and reliability for REE in adults with overweight or obesity. Hand-held IC may have limited validity and reliability. Accelerometer, body composition-based, and whole-room IC devices require further evaluation. Inconsistent findings are attributed to differing methodologies and reference standards. Further research is needed to examine the diagnostic accuracy of IC in adults with overweight and obesity.

The number of people affected by at least one chronic disease is increasing worldwide, with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL) being a major consequence(1). HRQOL is an important measure for quantifying and evaluating the impacts of a disease or intervention on self-perceived wellbeing. Anti-inflammatory diets are consistently associated with improvements in disease-specific outcomes(2,3), but their effect on HRQOL is unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory dietary interventions on HRQOL in adults with one or more chronic diseases. Five databases were searched from inception to May 2024 for randomised controlled trials evaluating the impact of an anti-inflammatory diet (e.g., Mediterranean, low-carbohydrate) on HRQOL. Screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias v2.0 tool were performed independently by two authors. Certainty of evidence was determined using the GRADE approach. Pooled effect sizes for HRQOL, separated into mental (MCS) physical (PCS) and general component scores (GCS) were calculated using random-effects meta-analyses and reported as standardised mean difference (SMD). Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed to assess the influence of study-level characteristics on HRQOL outcomes. Twenty-three studies reporting HRQOL data for 2753 participants were included. The most common chronic diseases evaluated were type 2 diabetes (8 studies, 35%), musculoskeletal conditions (5 studies, 22%), and cardiovascular conditions (3 studies, 13%). Anti-inflammatory dietary interventions evaluated included the Mediterranean diet (14 studies, 61%), low-carbohydrate diets (8 studies, 35%), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (1 study, 4%) and low-sugar, low-yeast diet (1 study, 4%). Anti-inflammatory diets were associated with small improvements in PCS compared to usual care/non-anti-inflammatory dietary interventions such as national dietary guidelines and low-fat diets (SMD 0.22, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.38) but not MCS (SMD 0.10, 95% CI −0.02 to 0.23) or GCS (SMD 0.40, 95% CI −0.32 to 1.13). Assessment by study-level characteristics revealed that studies with a higher risk of bias reported a larger effect on PCS, and diet-only interventions (compared to multi-component interventions) had a greater effect on MCS. No study met the Cochrane criteria for low risk of bias, and certainty of evidence was low (PCS and MCS) to very low (GCS). This systematic review suggests that anti-inflammatory diets may lead to a small improvement in physical HRQOL, but not mental or general HRQOL. The low certainty of evidence calls for further high-quality RCTs with detailed descriptions of dietary interventions in individuals with one or more chronic diseases.

Miyazawa Kenji (1896-1933) was a multi-talented educator, poet and author of the Taisho era. In his introduction, Roger Pulvers describes him as “a dilettante typical” of his time, combining a profound appreciation for all the world's culture (he was an devotee of Beethoven, and translated more than one of his own works into Esperanto) with a deep commitment to the Buddhist tradition. His short story “Indra's Net,” for example, demonstrates a number of the trajectories of this fascinating character. The protagonist — an archaeologist at work unearthing the Buddhist artifacts of the ancient Silk Road — carefully describes the geological features of the Tsela Pass even as he seeks to affirm his community with the Buddhist culture of that place in a cosmic epiphany replete with heavenly beings. As the afterward by Jane Marie Law indicates, the core images of this story are grounded less in the personal idiosyncrasies of its author, however, than the canonical symbolism of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Kegon-kyō), a scripture that teaches the fundamental interconnectedness of all beings and all experiences. It is this image of “Indra's Net” that helps to locate, not only the story's protagonist, but one suspects, Miyazawa himself, in a larger world, a vision in which the diversity of societies and the physical environment is grounded in a fundamental unity, one not entirely incompatible with the imperialist trajectories of his day.

Miyazawa Kenji must certainly be the world's only author who described himself as a single illumination of light. The actual lines—the very first in his “Preface to Spring and Ashura—go this way.

Exposure to adversity during the perinatal period has been associated with cognitive difficulties in children. Given the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in attention and impulsivity, we examined whether NAcc volume at age six mediates the relations between pre- and postnatal adversity and subsequent attention problems in offspring. 306 pregnant women were recruited as part of the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes Study. Psychosocial stress was assessed during pregnancy and across the first 5 years postpartum. At six years of age, children underwent structural MRI and, at age seven years, mothers reported on their children’s attention problems. Separate factor analyses conducted on measures of pre- and postnatal adversity each yielded two latent factors: maternal mental health and socioeconomic status. Both pre- and postnatal maternal mental health predicted children’s attention difficulties. Further, NAcc volume mediated the relation between prenatal, but not postnatal, maternal mental health and children’s attention problems. These findings suggest that the NAcc is particularly vulnerable to prenatal maternal mental health challenges and contributes to offspring attention problems. Characterizing the temporal sensitivity of neurobiological structures to adversity will help to elucidate mechanisms linking environmental exposures and behavior, facilitating the development of neuroscience-informed interventions for childhood difficulties.

Kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott] is an invasive tumbleweed in the North American Great Plains that is difficult to manage in croplands and ruderal areas due to widespread resistance to up to four herbicide sites of action, including auxin mimics (Herbicide Resistance Action Committee [HRAC] Group 4) and inhibitors of acetolactate synthase (HRAC Group 2), photosystem II (HRAC Group 5), and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (HRAC Group 9). Poor B. scoparia control with protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting (HRAC Group 14) herbicides was noted in a brown mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] field near Kindersley, SK, Canada, in 2021. Similar observations were made in a sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) field near Mandan, ND, USA, and in research plots near Minot, ND, USA, in 2022. Whole-plant dose–response experiments were conducted to determine whether these B. scoparia accessions were resistant to the PPO-inhibiting herbicides saflufenacil and carfentrazone and the level of resistance observed. All three B. scoparia accessions were highly resistant to foliar-applied saflufenacil and carfentrazone compared with two locally relevant susceptible accessions. The Kindersley accession exhibited 57- to 87-fold resistance to saflufenacil and 97- to 121-fold resistance to carfentrazone based on biomass dry weight at 21 d after treatment (DAT). Similarly, the Mandan accession exhibited 204- to 321-fold resistance to saflufenacil and 111- to 330-fold resistance to carfentrazone, while the Minot accession exhibited 45- to 71-fold resistance to saflufenacil and 88- to 264-fold resistance to carfentrazone. Substantial differences in visible control at 7 and 21/28 DAT were also observed between the putative-resistant and susceptible accessions. This study represents the first confirmations of PPO inhibitor–resistant B. scoparia globally and the fifth herbicide site of action to which B. scoparia has evolved resistance. It also documents this issue present at three locations in the Northern Great Plains region that occur up to 790 km apart and on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border.

Taking Global Constitutionalism as an agora, a platform for international interdisciplinary discussions this article asks a question about the state we are in with regard to the international order as an order that is not just a ‘rule-based order’ but also more substantially, a ‘legal order’ based on the rule of law. The topic is illustrated with reference to examples of ‘contested compliance’ i.e. objections to implementing international law and/or international rulings by international actors on behalf of signatories of states parties of a treaty. Three questions guide this discussion. The first is a question of normative change: are we facing a change regarding United Nations member states’ respect for and handling of the rule of law, or is a larger change of international law itself imminent? The second is a question about the effects of the shift from ‘normal’ contestations of norms to ‘deep’ contestations of the international order itself. And the third is a question about pluralism and diversity: are the UN Charter Order’s institutions, conventions and organisations sufficiently equipped to respond to an ever more diverse range of internationally, transnationally, and sub-nationally raised justice-claims? The article elaborates on each of the three themes in light of the current situation of contested compliance with obligations under international law.

Resurrecting the lost voices of Chinese scouts, who served society in the early stage of China’s War of Resistance, this article examines the militarization and politicization of Chinese scouting. After 1927, international scouting adapted to the militant and quasi-fascist ideologies promoted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (Guomindang or GMD). This, in turn, prompted a radicalization of the concept of citizenship among the scouts. The article illuminates this shift and reveals that the ultra-nationalistic sentiment cultivated by the GMD resulted in some scouts compelling ordinary people to behave patriotically. The scouts’ voluntary service worked hand in hand with the GMD’s authoritarian influence in Shanghai’s foreign concessions. They played a vanguard role in the early months of the war, working as kidnappers and intimidators for the GMD. The scouts’ violent and coercive tactics contradicted the long-held principles laid down by Robert Baden-Powell. Their actions outside of the civilian roles assigned to them disillusioned expatriate observers.

We live at a time when experts are increasingly viewed with distrust. Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Gove famously said that ‘The people of this country have had enough of experts.’ In this interview, philosopher Linda Zagzebski explores some key questions concerning experts, including: What is an expert? How does an expert differ from an authority? And: What can we do to foster a healthier relationship between experts and non-experts?

Wittgenstein’s Private Language Argument is one of the most famous arguments in philosophy. It is a surprisingly tricky argument to understand. Some philosophers think it’s a good argument. Others disagree. In fact they even disagree about what the argument actually is. This short essay gives three different interpretations of the argument and explains why I believe none succeed.

The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of older medicinal cannabis consumers and those advising them on older Canadians’ experiences accessing cannabis and information about it, as well as how stigma may influence their experiences. A concurrent triangulation mixed methods design was used. The design was qualitatively driven and involved conducting semi-structured interviews with older adults and advisors and developing a survey for older adults. We used a Qualitative Descriptive approach for the analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative survey data. Findings demonstrate that many older adults are accessing information about cannabis for medical purposes from retailers, either because they are reticent to talk to their healthcare professionals or were rebuffed when bringing up the subject. We recommend cannabis education be required for healthcare professionals working with older persons and that future research examines their perspectives on medicinal cannabis and older adults.

Firstly, I would like to thank George Annas, Wendy Mariner, and Fran Miller for nurturing the field of health law, and keeping the collaboration vibrant for more than half a century.

Modular floating solar farms exhibit periodic open surface coverages due to the strip configuration of floating modules that support the photovoltaic (PV) panels on top. The associated modulations in the surface boundary layer and its turbulence characteristics are investigated in the present study under fully developed open channel flows. Different coverage percentages of 100 % (i.e. full cover), 60 %, 30 % and 0 % (i.e. open surface) were tested and measurements were obtained using particle image velocimetry. The results showed that the turbulence statistics are similar when the coverage decreases from 100 % to 60 %. However, with 30 %, both the turbulence intensities and Reynolds stresses increase substantially, reaching up to 50 % higher compared with the 100 % coverage, and the boundary layer thickness increases by more than 25 %. The local skin friction beneath the openings increases by 50 %. Analysis of spanwise vortices and premultiplied spectra indicates that the periodic coverage elongates the hairpin vortex packets and reduces their inclination angle, imposing limitations on sustainable coherent structures. At 30 %, flow detachment and smaller-scale vortices become dominant, reducing the mean velocities and increasing the turbulence intensities. Decreasing coverage percentage with flow detachment also shifts the energy transfer to higher wavenumbers, increasing energy dissipation and decreasing the bulk flow velocity. The kinetic energy and Reynolds stress carried by very large-scale motions decreases from 40 %–50 % with the 100 % and 60 % coverage to around 30 %–40 % with the 30 % coverage. Further research studies involving spanwise heterogeneity, higher Reynolds number and varying submergence of PV modules are needed for environmental considerations.