Reimagining labour law through the lived experiences and collective strength of women beedi workers

My PhD explores the lived realities of women beedi workers in northern Telangana—how labour law manifests (or fails to) in their lives, and how they respond collectively. Using an intersectional feminist lens, I conducted a 10-month mixed-methods study: a survey of 320 women, 60 semi-structured interviews, two focus group discussions with union leaders and members, and key informant interviews with contractors, labour welfare officers, medical staff, and government officials. I also examined archival records and policy documents tracing the beedi industry's history of unionisation, legislation, and struggles for implementation

Identification of the lydiamycin biosynthetic gene cluster in a plant pathogen guides structural revision and identification of molecular target

The natural products actinonin and matlystatin feature an N-hydroxy-2-pentyl-succinamyl (HPS) chemophore that facilitates metal chelation and confers their metalloproteinase inhibitory activity. Actinonin is the most potent natural inhibitor of peptide deformylase (PDF) and exerts antimicrobial and herbicidal bioactivity by disrupting protein synthesis. Here, we used a genomics-led approach to identify candidate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) hypothesized to produce HPS-containing natural products. We show that one of these BGCs is on the pathogenicity megaplasmid of the plant pathogen Rhodococcus fascians and produces lydiamycin A, a macrocyclic pentapeptide. The presence of genes predicted to make an HPS-like chemophore informed the structural recharacterization of lydiamycin via NMR and crystallography to show that it features a rare 2-pentyl-succinyl chemophore. We demonstrate that lydiamycin A inhibits bacterial PDF in vitro and show that a cluster-situated PDF gene confers resistance to lydiamycin A, representing an uncommon self-immunity mechanism associated with the production of a PDF inhibitor. In planta competition assays showed that lydiamycin enhances the fitness of R. fascians during plant colonization. This study highlights how a BGC can inform the structure, biochemical target, and ecological function of a natural product

Decolonising the curriculum in Japanese language education in the UK and Europe

In recent years, “Decolonising the Curriculum (DtC)” has been widely discussed and advocated in the European educational landscape as part of inclusive education. However, few examples of its practice in Japanese language teaching have been reported. While discussions of DtC in Japan often focus on the context of Japan’s former colonies, this context does not apply to Japanese language education in Europe, where Japanese is positioned as a minority language, thus a target for inclusion. Considering these complex contexts, we conducted a survey of Japanese teachers to understand the position and goal of DtC for Japanese language education in Europe. This report primarily investigates how Japanese language teachers in Europe perceive and implement the concept of decolonisation in their teaching. The project highlighted the complexity of DtC within Japanese language education in the UK and Europe, where both the perspectives of the coloniser and the colonised are present. Our findings revealed a range of practices for reviewing power dynamics in the classroom to make education more inclusive, whether respondents intended DtC or not; there were different ways of understanding DtC. We hope that this initiative will provide an opportunity for further discussion of DtC in the teaching of languages other than English

Causes of evolutionary divergence in prostate cancer

Cancer progression involves the sequential accumulation of genetic alterations that cumulatively shape the tumour phenotype. In prostate cancer, tumours can follow divergent evolutionary trajectories that lead to distinct subtypes, but the causes of this divergence remain unclear. While causal inference could elucidate the factors involved, conventional methods are unsuitable due to the possibility of unobserved confounders and ambiguity in the direction of causality. Here, we propose a method that circumvents these issues and apply it to genomic data from 829 prostate cancer patients. We identify several genetic alterations that drive divergence as well as others that prevent this transition, locking tumours into one trajectory. Further analysis reveals that these genetic alterations may cause each other, implying a positive-feedback loop that accelerates divergence. Our findings provide insights into how cancer subtypes emerge and offer a foundation for genomic surveillance strategies aimed at monitoring the progression of prostate cancer

Vaporized nicotine products for smoking cessation among people experiencing social disadvantage- A randomized clinical trial

Background: Vaporized nicotine products (VNPs) are more effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation in general populations, but their effectiveness among low socioeconomic groups is largely unknown.   Objective: To examine whether VNPs are more effective than NRT for smoking cessation among people experiencing social disadvantage.  Design: Two-group, open-label, randomized trial with blinded outcome ascertainment. (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621000076875).   Setting: Australia, between March 2021 and December 2022.   Participants: 1045 adults who smoked daily, were willing to quit smoking, and were receiving a government pension/allowance (proxy for social disadvantage).   Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either a free 8-week supply of NRT or VNPs, and all participants received text-message support.   Measurements: The primary outcome was 6-month continuous smoking abstinence verified using a carbon monoxide breath test at 7-month follow-up. Analysis included randomly assigned participants in accordance with Russell Standard criteria and the intention-to-treat principle.   Results: Among 1045 randomly assigned participants, 866 (82.9%) completed final follow-up. The verified 6-month continuous abstinence rate was 9.6% (50 of 523) in the NRT group and 28.4% (148 of 522) in the VNP group (posterior risk difference estimate, 18.7% [95% credible interval, 14.1% to 23.3%]; >99% posterior probability that VNP is superior). Self-reported adverse events occurred less frequently in the VNP group (355 events among 237 participants) compared with the NRT group (442 events among 278 participants; incident rate ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.65 to 0.88]; P < 0.001).   Limitations: Biochemical verification method tested short-term exposure to cigarette smoke.   Conclusion: Findings indicate that VNPs were more effective than NRT for smoking cessation in this population. Given the challenges for cessation among these socially disadvantaged populations, VNPs present a promising treatment option for this priority group.   Primary Funding Source: Australian National Health and Medical Research Council

Simulation and analysis of turbulent flame and its effect on the wall of aero engine combustor

The main objective of this study is to simulate the behavior of the reactive flow of the turbulent flame in aeronautical combustion chamber of the ALLISON-T56 turboprop, and contribute to the analysis of flame structure and determine for given pressure and temperature of fresh gas the behavior of the thermodynamic parameters of combustion. The numerical approach is based on the resolution of basic equations of turbulent combustion using Ansys-Fluent code where the turbulence model K-e is chosen, the geometry of the combustion chamber is made using Ansys-workbench software. Thereafter, we simulate the transient temperature field through the wall of a tubular combustion chamber, and the characterization of the thermal expansion, the thermoelastic stresses and strains with the physical properties of refractory materials. The obtained results are then compared with the results of the scientific literatur

Sea Inside

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live underwater, to be inside a shell, or even the belly of a whale? Featuring experimental contemporary artworks across a range of media by artists including Shuvinai Ashoona (b.1961), Marcus Coates (b.1968), Evan Ifekoya (b.1988), Laure Prouvost (b.1978) and Hiroshi Sugimoto (b.1948), Dr Sarah Wade (University of East Anglia) and Dr Pandora Syperek (Loughborough University London) have curated a unique oceanic experience that explores humanity’s interconnections, interrelationships, and immersion in oceans. While some humans have pursued life above or under water – through seafaring, research, fishing or diving – others have and still are subjected to the horrors of forced or desperate maritime crossings. Yet the sea has often been viewed as a mysterious ‘other’, with its expansive surface and seemingly infinite depths dominating marine imagery in the history of Western art. Conversely, artworks in this exhibition explore the ways the oceans have been domesticated, reimagined on a bodily scale and brought inside to be tamed, contained or better understood. Sea Inside turns our oceanic gaze towards the sea’s more intimate spaces – whether physical, psychological or imaginary – and dives into shared watery origins, Indigenous ways of life and the items we remove from the sea to display on land

Community guidelines to increase the reusability of marine microfossil assemblage data

Data on marine microfossil assemblage composition have multiple applications. Initially, they were primarily used for (chrono)stratigraphy and palaeoecology, but these data are now also widely used to study evolutionary and ecological processes, such as past biodiversity and its links with environmental dynamics, or to provide a basis for conservation efforts and biomonitoring. The large range of potential applications renders microfossil abundance data ideal for reuse. However, the complexity inherent in taxonomic data, which encompass extant and extinct species, coupled with the inherent intricacies of information on biological communities extracted from sedimentary archives, poses considerable hurdles in reusing marine microfossil data, even when they are publicly available. Here, we present guidelines derived from an online survey conducted within the marine micropalaeontological community, aimed at improving the reusability of microfossil assemblage data. These guidelines advocate for clarity and transparency in the documentation of the methods and the outcome, and we outline the data attributes required for effective reuse of micropalaeontological data. These guidelines are intended for researchers who generate microfossil abundance datasets and for reviewers, editors, and data curators at repositories. A total of 113 researchers evaluated the relevance of about 50 data attributes that might be needed to enable and maximise the reuse of marine microfossil abundance datasets. Each property is ranked based on the survey results. All information is, in principle, considered “desired”. Information that improves the reusability is ranked as “recommended”, and information that is required for reuse is ranked as “essential”. Analysis of a selection of datasets available online reveals a rather large gap between data properties deemed essential by survey participants and what is actually contained in publicly available microfossil assemblage datasets. While the survey indicates that the micropalaeontological community values good data stewardship, improving data reusability still requires new efforts to incorporate all the essential information. The guidelines presented here are intended as a step in that direction. Determining the optimal forms and formats for data sharing are obvious next steps the community needs to take

Strong long-lived Kuroshio-shed anticyclonic eddies and their re-intensification in the northern South China Sea

The Kuroshio anticyclonic eddy shedding event occurs nearly every winter in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS). Between 1993 and 2023, 27 prominent Kuroshio-shed anticyclonic eddies were identified based on satellite altimetry data. These eddies propagated southwestward along the continental slope and typically dissipated near the Xisha Islands in spring, with an average lifespan of approximately 89 days. Notably, three exceptionally strong and long-lived eddies were observed in 2010, 2017, and 2021, each persisting for more than 180 days. Unlike the regular eddies that dissipated upon encountering the Xisha Islands, these long-lived eddies slightly moved eastward along the topography and re-intensified during summer. Eddy-current interactions and eddy mergers were identified as the primary mechanisms driving their re-intensification. Hydrographic observations revealed that the long-lived Kuroshio eddies evolved seasonally from surface-intensified to subsurface-intensified eddies, ultimately exhibiting a lens-shaped structure in the upper 300 m. The intense lens core was enclosed by a strong potential vorticity (PV) gradient, acting as a PV barrier that prevents water exchange between the eddy interior and its surroundings. Despite undergoing interactions that re-intensified the eddy, the eddy core maintained its high-salinity and low-PV characteristics. Such intrinsic eddies may play an important role in local air-sea interactions, heat-salt balances, and biogeochemical processes

A perspective on 25 years of advances as reported in the Journal of Optics

In this perspective, the Editorial Board of the J. Opt. reflects on the past 25 years of the journal. The advances reported in journal have shaped the progress of diverse fields, from fundamental advances in optics to applications with optics as a key ingredient. The journal’s scope has seen it capture progress in several emergent fields, for instance, structured light covering orbital angular momentum, spatio-temporal solitons, topologies in light, singular optics and nonparaxial light. Reports include advances in optical devices, such as digital micromirror devices, metasurfaces and integrated photonics, as well as novel photonic materials based on nanophotonics. Application-based research includes super-resolution imaging, digital holography and nonlinear optics. We select key papers from across diverse disciplines to showcase the scope of the journal and the impact it has had on the wider community