A Novel Analytical Beam Formulation and Its Application on Composite Wind Turbine Blades

This paper presents a novel analytical formulation for modelling the mechanics of non-uniform and asymmetrical straight beams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) and composites. This approach addresses the complexities caused by the asymmetry of the cross-section and those arising from the variations in geometry and material properties along the beam's axis by approximating these variations as stepped changes. It is assumed that each segment of the beam has constant properties, which are determined through the averaging of functions representing the actual property variations. This method enables efficient and accurate modelling/representation of beam structures such as wind turbine blades. The accuracy and reliability of the analytical model are verified through a comparison with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) 10 MW reference wind turbine blade, considering two representative load cases (bending, BLC1 and torsional, BLC2) and confirming its ability to accurately predict the structural response. Furthermore, the study assesses the computational performance of the model, demonstrating its efficiency. This study contributes to the literature by providing a robust and computationally efficient approach for the analysis of wind turbine blades

Numerical investigation on cooling performance of phase change assisted direct ventilation system for data center

Traditional data centers often use mechanical cooling systems, leading to high energy consumption and waste of natural cooling resources. Thus, a novel phase change ventilation device that combines natural cooling with phase change storage has been designed to maintain continuous natural cooling of the data center by storing cold energy from the natural cold air using phase change plates (PCPs), and eliminate the reliance on mechanical refrigeration in traditional data centers and achieving energy savings. In this study, the cooling performance of the proposed device is numerically analyzed and the feasibility of the model is verified by experiments, filling the research gap in data centers for this method. Considering main effectors, i.e., the inlet air velocity (IAV), inlet air temperature (IAT), phase change plate thickness (PCPT), phase change temperature (PCT), and thermal conductivity of encapsulation material (TCEM) on the cooling performance of the device. The results show that: (1) Phase change ventilation device can reduce the IAT of 34 °C by an average of 2.53 °C within 8 h (2) When the IAV increases from 1 m/s to 4 m/s, the average cooling performance of the phase change ventilation device decreases by 62.93 %. (3) In the phase change latent heat stage, the temperature difference (TD) of phase change ventilation device decreases almost linearly over time. (4) The significance analysis of orthogonal experiment shows the impact of various factors on the cooling performance of phase change ventilation device as follows: IAV > IAT > PCPT > PCT > TCEM

Effect of gas nuclei on the primary stage of shock–droplet interaction

The presence of entrapped gas in liquids is well-documented, arising from gas solubility, surface irregularities, or prior phase-change events. In this study, simulations are carried out replicating an experiment involving a Mach 2.4 Planar shock interacting with a cylindrical water column, and the results are benchmarked against experimental pressure measurements in which the presence of entrapped air is reported. The liquid droplet is modelled as a homogeneous mixture of liquid and gas using a multiphase flow framework, and a novel relaxation approach is introduced to capture non-equilibrium effects within the mixture region. The effects of Gaseous Volume Fraction (GVF) and relaxation rate on shock attenuation, wave propagation speed, and cavitation are explored. The results reveal that increasing GVF enhances shock attenuation and slows down the wave propagation speed due to the mixture’s higher compressibility. A non-monotonic relationship between relaxation rate and pressure peak intensity is observed, governed by the effect of the relaxation rate on shock diffusivity, with maximum attenuation occurring at intermediate rates. At high GVF, the low wave propagation speed leads to an interaction between the shocks formed internally and around the droplet, which suppresses the rarefaction wave formation. Regarding cavitation, results indicate that lower GVF promotes stronger gas growth due to less shock attenuation. Finally, this study provides a physical explanation for the temporal pressure variations reported in prior numerical works and highlights the critical role of entrapped gas in shock–droplet interaction dynamics

The impact of the Great War of 1914-18 on tourism in the UK: Implications for tourism research

This paper examines an overlooked feature of tourism management – the relationship between the state, the population and their holidaytaking habits and behaviour during World War One in the UK. The paper provides a series of important insights into a period of traumatic social and economic change to illustrate how a state anti-tourism policy evolved, utilising various policy sanctions and tools to try and limit the demand for holidays and leisure travel. The research is paradigm shifting in terms of addressing a major research gap and misconceptions that the war led to a cessation of tourism, or constitutes a period of limited research interest. As a study of tourism management and policy, it demonstrates the protracted problem of seeking to change tourist behaviour, even in periods of major crises and global upheaval that offers important lessons for governments and other policymakers in addressing issues such as overtourism and sustainable tourism

Automated novel real-time framework for rainfall data imputation in flood early warning systems

Real-time flood warning systems play a crucial role in mitigating impacts of flooding. However, their performance is highly dependent on input data, which can often contain missing values. While data imputation techniques have been widely applied in pre-processing stages, their integration into real-time operations remains underexplored. This study presents a real-time automated decision support system that integrates a soft-voting stacked data mining ensemble model comprising decision tree, K-nearest neighbour, Naive Bayes, Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, Discriminant Analysis, and Gaussian Regression. The system also incorporates hydrological–hydraulic event identification, external benchmarking, and a multi-data fuzzy weighted spatial imputation framework. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated through a real-world case study involving a flood early warning system in an urban drainage network in London, UK. Comparative analyses were conducted against well-established artificial intelligence model, and a sensitivity analysis was performed for further assessment. Results showed that all types of missing data were correctly identified with a precision exceeding 90 % and were accurately imputed - particularly in situations where other models failed to recognise current rainfall values during the onset, peak, and falling limb of events (with no reduction in accuracy compared to the best-performing benchmark models). For the 3-h-ahead flood forecasting, the proposed method reduced the normalised root mean square error by up to 30 % compared to alternative approaches. To ensure the generalisability of the approach, additional locations across the UK were used for validation, which demonstrates the stability and robustness of the system, with only minor error variations

Inhibition of levodopa-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) using a selective α7 nicotinic positive allosteric modulator

Chronic administration of nicotine and nicotinic ligands have been shown to reduce levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in rodents and primates. Due to its unique extra-striatal localisation and biochemical signalling properties, the α7 subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) may represent an important and unique target for drug development for the treatment of dyskinesia, particularly since positive allosteric modulator (PAM) at the α7 nAChRs subtype may provide an opportunity to reduce dyskinesia without side effects. In this study, we report on the anti-dyskinetic actions of a selective α7 PAM, PNU-120596 and compared its action to nicotine and other α7 nAChRs ligands. Unilaterally 6-OHDA lesioned female rats were primed with levodopa to display abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) to model levodopa-induced dyskinesia. The effects of the α7 PAM, PNU-120596, an α7 agonist, PHA-543613 or the α7 antagonist, methyllycaconitine (MLA), as well as nicotine, a non-selective nAChR agonist were all examined on AIMs. Low doses of PNU-120596 and nicotine dose-dependently reduced AIMs, but combination of the PAM with nicotine produced only an additive effect which surprisingly, could not be demonstrated with the α7 agonist PHA-543613, while MLA dose-dependently reduced AIMS. The effects of PNU-120596 suggests that α7 PAMs may enhance the effect of basal acetylcholine on α7 receptors in the striatum and may provide a new avenue for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Reduction of AIMs by MLA suggests that the mechanism of AIMs reduction may involve the rapid desensitization of the α7 nAChRs subtype

Improving Collaboration Between Primary and Secondary Mental Healthcare via Boundary Spanning: Evaluation of a New Joined‐Up Community Mental Healthcare Model in England

Objectives: Community mental healthcare requires the collaboration of multiple services to meet the needs of local populations. Accessing mental health care in England often involves the collaboration of primary and secondary healthcare services. This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of ‘boundary spanning’ processes and practitioner roles aiming to reduce service fragmentation and improve access to mental healthcare. Methods: Forty‐one qualitative interviews with professionals across local healthcare providers were conducted in Peterborough (East England) to assess the impact of boundary spanning processes and practitioner roles and were analysed thematically. Results: Structured boundary spanning processes and professional roles were found to facilitate communication and knowledge exchange between primary and secondary mental healthcare services, leading to optimisation of GPs' decisions about individuals' treatment pathways, and to improvements in service accessibility. Yet, effectiveness was reported as conditional on GPs' engagement, as well as the decentralised structure of primary care settings. Conclusion: Community mental healthcare organisations could utilise boundary spanning interventions to flex organisational barriers between primary and mental healthcare and optimise accessibility of service users to mental health services. Boundary spanning processes and professional roles can be used to inform national and local care integration strategies

Songlines for Parkinson’s: The Process of Co-Developing a New Music-and-Movement Group-Based Intervention to Improve Mood and Movement for Parkinson’s

Participatory research promotes inclusive practice and enables stakeholder expertise to be recognized as a valuable contribution throughout the research cycle. However, there is little guidance regarding how to disseminate these qualitative processes, and the methodological insights gained. Based on preliminary research, we had developed a session framework for a new intervention using music to improve motor and non-motor symptoms for people with Parkinson’s. Our next step was to work in a trans- and interdisciplinary way to further explore concepts (e.g., imagery) and to co-develop content (e.g., musical exercises). Through a synthesis of materials including video footage, worksheets, field notes, transcriptions of interviews and feedback forms derived though workshops and interviews with people with Parkinson’s, a range of practitioners and healthcare professionals, and researchers in the UK (in English) and in Switzerland (in German and Italian), we developed a draft protocol for a 12-week course. This was then optimized through a final round of feedback with the stakeholders. We gained direct methodological insights throughout these processes, including some that led to changes in protocol (addition of two new sections), and the revision (rhythmic exercises) and removal (e.g., singing and syncopation) of some planned content. We also changed our use of language. Indirect insights included the need for cultural and contextual sensitivity, and a new understanding of the bidirectional nature of impact. A new group-based music and movement course, Songlines for Parkinson’s, has been co-developed for and with people with Parkinson’s. The methodological insights gained have not only shaped the protocol but also provided lessons that could be useful for planning and guidance in future participatory projects involving the Parkinson’s community and extended to other groups

The Mental Health Bill (2025) for England and Wales: professional and carer consensus statement summarising concerns and unintended consequences from proposed changes to autism and learning disability

The Mental Health Bill, 2025, proposes to remove autism and learning disability from the scope of Section 3 of the Mental Health Act, 1983 (MHA). The present article represents a professional and carer consensus statement that raises concerns and identifies probable unintended consequences if this proposal becomes law. Our concerns relate to the lack of clear mandate for such proposals, conceptual inconsistency when considering other conditions that might give rise to a need for detention and the inconsistency in applying such changes to Part II of the MHA but not Part III. If the proposed changes become law, we anticipate that detentions would instead occur under the less safeguarded Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework, and that unmanaged risks will eventuate in behavioural consequences that will lead to more autistic people or those with a learning disability being sent to prison. Additionally, there is a concern that the proposed definitional breadth of autism and learning disability gives rise to a risk that people with other conditions may unintentionally be unable to be detained. We strongly urge the UK Parliament to amend this portion of the Bill prior to it becoming law

MXene-Enhanced Laser-Induced Graphene Flexible Sensor with Rapid Response for Monitoring Pilots’ Body Motion

Flexible wearable strain sensors demonstrate promising application prospects in health monitoring, human-machine interaction, motion tracking, and the detection of human physiological signals. Although laser-induced graphene (LIG) materials have been extensively utilized in these scenarios, traditional types of LIG sensors are constrained by intrinsic limitations, including discontinuous conductive networks and electromechanical responsive hysteresis. These limitations hinder their applications in micro-strain detection scenarios. Consequently, enhancing the performance of LIG-based sensors has become a crucial priority. To address this challenge, we developed a novel MXene/LIG composite featuring optimized conductive networks and interfacial coupling effects through the systematic enhancement of LIG. The flexible strain sensor fabricated using this composite exhibits exceptional performance, including an ultra-low sheet resistance of 14.1 Ω, a high sensitivity of 20.7, a micro-strain detection limit of 0.05%, and a rapid response time of approximately 65 ms. These improvements significantly enhance electromechanical responsiveness and strain detection sensitivity. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits remarkable stability under varying tensile strains, particularly showing outstanding repeatability across 2500 cyclic tests. Notably, when applied to the pilot health monitoring scenarios, the MXene/LIG-based sensor demonstrates robust capability in detecting body movement signals such as micro-expressions and joint movements. This establishes a novel and highly effective technological solution for the real-time monitoring of pilots’ motion states during operational scenarios