This article analyses the relationship between Italian feminism and mental health in the 1970s, focusing on Turin. It explores the main theoretical debates that dominated feminist magazines and meetings during those years. In feminist groups and collectives, discussions about women’s wellness and illness began with the broader theme of health and knowledge of one’s body. However, they subsequently expanded to include personal, theoretical, clinical and political issues related to mental health. New experiences such as autocoscienza (consciousness-raising) and the practice of the unconscious allowed feminists to examine the effects of gender roles and models, existential contradictions, distress and intolerance, discomfort with doctors, psychiatric hospitalisation and the shortcomings of territorial services. The case of Turin shows that these experiences paved the way for subsequent interactions between feminism and the psychiatric reform movement.

We investigated the dynamics of thin-layer formation by non-spherical motile phytoplankton in time-dependent shear flow, building on the seminal work of Durham et al. (2009 Science vol. 323, pp. 1067–1070), on spherical microswimmers in time-independent flows. By solving the torque balance equation for a microswimmer, we found that the system is highly damped for body sizes smaller than $10^{-3}$ m, with initial rotational motion dissipating quickly. From this torque balance, we also derived the critical shear for ellipsoidal microswimmers, which we validated numerically. Simulations revealed that the peak density of microswimmers is slightly higher than the theoretical prediction due to the speed asymmetry of sinking and gyrotaxis above and below the predicted height. In addition, we observed that microswimmers with higher aspect ratios tend to form thicker layers due to slower angular velocity. Using linear stability analysis, we identified a thin-layer accumulation time scale, which contains two regimes. This theoretically predicted accumulation time scale was validated through simulations. In time-dependent flow with oscillating critical shear depth, we identified three accumulation regimes and a transitional regime based on the ratio of swimmer and flow time scales. Our results indicate that thin layers can form across time scale ratios spanning five orders of magnitude, which helps explain the widespread occurrence of thin phytoplankton layers in natural water bodies.

The effects of surface roughness in the transitionally rough regime on the overlying near-wall turbulence are modelled using quasi-linear approximations proposed recently: minimal quasi-linear approximation (MQLA) (Hwang & Ekchardt, 2020, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 894, A23), data-driven quasi-linear approximation (DQLA) (Holford et al., 2024, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 980, A12) and a newly established variant of MQLA (M2QLA, minimal two-mode quasi-linear approximation). The transpiration-resistance model (TRM) for boundary conditions is applied to account for the surface roughness (Lācis et al., 2020, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 884, A21). It is shown that many essential near-wall turbulence statistics are fairly well captured by the quasi-linear approximations in a wide range of slip and transpiration lengths for the TRM boundary conditions. In particular, the virtual origins and the resulting roughness functions are well predicted, showing good agreement with those from previous direct numerical simulations (DNS) in mild roughness cases. The DQLA and M2QLA, which incorporate streamwise-dependent Fourier modes in the approximations, are also shown to perform a little better than MQLA, especially with DQLA reproducing the two-dimensional energy spectra qualitatively consistent with the DNS. Finally, with a computational cost much lower than DNS, it is shown that the proposed quasi-linear approximation frameworks offer an efficient tool to rapidly explore the roughness effects within a large parameter space.

We study the density of the Burau representation from the perspective of a non-semisimple topological quantum field theory (TQFT) at a fourth root of unity. This gives a TQFT construction of Squier’s Hermitian form on the Burau representation with possibly mixed signature. We prove that the image of the braid group in the space of possibly indefinite unitary representations is dense. We also argue for the potential applications of non-semisimple TQFTs toward topological quantum computation.

We introduce a notion of equivariant vector bundles on schemes over semirings. We do this by considering the functor of points of a locally free sheaf. We prove that every toric vector bundle on a toric scheme X over an idempotent semifield equivariantly splits as a sum of toric line bundles. We then study the equivariant Picard group $\operatorname{Pic}_G(X)$. Finally, we prove a version of Klyachko’s classification theorem for toric vector bundles over an idempotent semifield.

We numerically investigate the fluid dynamics of the infusion of balanced salt solution into the vitreous chamber during ophthalmic surgery. A 25-gauge vitrectomy set consisting of an infusion cannula and a vitreous cutter is inserted in a realistic model of a human vitreous chamber. As the vitreous cutter aspirates at a constant flow rate (7.5–20 ml min−1 in the present study), the corresponding infusion flow generates a high-velocity laminar jet (1.00–2.65 m s−1) causing high stress on the retina (pressure up to 1200 Pa) and mixing. We analyse the Lagrangian coherent structures and quantify mixing. Results show a vortex ring around the jet impingement region, in the posterior part of the chamber. At higher infusion rates (Re > 600), interacting hairpin vortices emerge as a result of an instability in the vortex ring. This disordered flow enhances mixing, potentially dispersing substances such as vital dyes, with consequences on visibility and surgery time. We quantify the overall mixing and its evolution with height, observing a smooth transition from an ordered flow to an unsteady disordered one with the flow rate. These findings may pave the way towards strategies to minimise complications while optimising efficiency, especially given the trend towards minimally invasive surgery with progressively smaller infusion cannulas.

Water and light are essential resources for crop development, and their limitations can significantly affect agricultural productivity. While irrigation systems are widely used to mitigate water scarcity, the role of nighttime artificial lighting in open-field conditions remains an emerging research area. This review explores the potential of nighttime light supplementation as a crop management strategy by analysing its physiological, morphological, and biochemical effects on plants. A key question addressed is whether supplemental lighting can enhance crop productivity in the field and under which conditions this approach is most effective. We examine which crops are more likely to benefit from artificial lighting based on their light limitations and physiological responses. Additionally, we discuss whether alternative agronomic practices, such as planting arrangements and canopy management, could achieve similar benefits without artificial light supplementation. The review also considers how the timing and spectral composition of supplemental light influence plant development. While continuous or nighttime lighting may alter physiological processes, it remains unclear whether these changes are beneficial or detrimental to productivity. Studies on light penetration, particularly the role of green and far-red wavelengths, suggest that spectral composition can impact plant morphology and light-use efficiency, raising questions about optimal lighting strategies. Finally, we address the feasibility of large-scale nighttime lighting in agriculture by discussing energy demands, potential environmental impacts, and economic viability. While preliminary studies suggest promising physiological responses, experimental validation under field conditions is still needed to determine whether this technology represents a profitable and sustainable investment.