Modulation of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome axis Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and attenuation of oxidative stress mediate the protective effect of ambroxol against cyclophosphamide cardiotoxicity

Despite its potent chemotherapeutic efficacy, cyclophosphamide (CP) is associated with severe cardiac complications, limiting its clinical utility. Recent evidence suggests that the mucolytic agent ambroxol (ABX) exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a candidate for mitigating CP cardiotoxicity. This study explored the protective effects of ABX against CP-mediated cardiotoxicity, with emphasis on oxidative stress, NF-κB/NLRP3 inflamamsome axis and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. Rats were administered ABX (20 mg/kg) for 7 days and received a single injection of CP (100 mg/kg) on day 5, and blood and heart samples were collected for analyses. CP administration induced significant cardiac dysfunction, marked by elevated LDH, CK-MB, and troponin-I, alongside histopathological evidence of myocardial injury. ABX alleviated cardiac biomarkers, prevented histopathological alterations, reduced lipid peroxidation, and restored antioxidant defenses. CP upregulated NF-κB p65, NLRP3, ASC1, caspase-1, gasdermin D, and IL-1β, and suppressed Nrf2 and HO-1 in the heart of rats. ABX suppressed the NF-κB/NLRP3 inflamamsome axis mediators and upregulated Nrf2 and HO-1. In silico data revealed the binding affinity of ABX towards NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 and ASC1 PYD domains. In conclusion, ABX confers significant protection against CP-induced cardiotoxicity through multifaceted mechanisms, including attenuation of oxidative stress, inhibition of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflamamsome axis, and upregulation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. These findings suggest that ABX could serve as an effective adjunct therapy to improve the safety profile of CP in clinical oncology

Cohort profile: the Maharashtra Anaemia Study 3 (MAS 3)—a maternal-child cohort study up to age 18 years in India

Purpose The Maharashtra Anaemia Study 3 (MAS 3) aims to (1) Investigate the nutritional, environmental, and economic impacts on haemoglobin concentration/anaemia, (2) Identify the underlying micronutrient causes of anaemia and (3) Investigate the association between anaemia and physical and cognitive development of Indian children during their first 18 years of life. This paper introduces the MAS 3 cohort, which consists of data collected from the participants in the prospective Pune Maternal Nutrition Study from the antenatal period to children at 18 years of age (1996–2014) in the Maharashtra state, India. Participants Recruitment of 2466 married non-pregnant women, and their husbands, took place between June 1994 and April 1996 in six villages, approximately 50 km from Pune city in India. Women were followed up monthly to identify those who became pregnant. A total of 797 pregnant women were followed up for data collection at or near gestational week 18 and 28, with further data collection for women and children occurring within 72 hours of delivery, for both live and stillbirths. Of the 797 women, 710 were included in the MAS 3 cohort, and long-term follow-up of children occurred at 6 years, 12 years and 18 years of age. Findings to date In the MAS 3 cohort, most mothers (73%) were aged between 18 and 25 years at the time of their final prepregnancy visit (baseline), and half (55%) belonged to families of middle-upper socioeconomic status (SES). At the children’s baseline (birth) visit, children had a mean birth weight of 2630 g (SD: 376), with one third (31%) of low birth weight. At the 6-year, 12-year and 18-year follow-up visits, data were available for 706 (99%), 689 (97%) and 694 (98%) children. Future plans MAS 3 will be used to address a number of research objectives, including (1) Trends of haemoglobin and anaemia-related micronutrients from age 6 to 18 years, (2) Micronutrient causes of anaemia during childhood, (3) Prevalence and risk factors for maternal anaemia and childhood anaemia, (4) Impact of maternal anaemia on immediate birth outcomes and (5) Intergenerational risk factors associated with anaemia

A scoping review of the research supporting coaching practice in women's football: as the game grows the research strives to keep up

The aim of this study was to scope the available peer-reviewed literature on competitive women’s football, identifying and mapping the current research on supporting coaching practice in women’s football. The study reviewed all women’s football related studies scoped by Okholm Kryger et al. (2021) for their relevance to coaching in women’s football. Additionally, an updated search was performed from PubMed (1966–2023), PsycINFO (1967– 2023), Web of Science (1900–2023), Scopus (1788–2023), SPORTDiscus (1892–2023) on 7th December 2023. The author, journal, title, and abstract of all included studies were scoped. Information extracted during the scoping process included: the population, playing level, age group, environment, study type and geographical location of the research. A total of 373 articles were scoped. The publication topic most frequently researched was Performance Analysis – Physical (20%), followed by Performance Analysis - Technical/Tactical (18%) and Maturation/Talent Identification (13%). Most studies were focused on coaching senior players (n=207, 55%) and elite football (n=189, 51%). Despite the volume of research growing each year, it is noticeable there are gaps in the research. Five topics only had a single figure number of articles (Teaching and Learning Strategies, Coach Education/Development, Socio-Cultural Experience’s of Coaching, Coaching Philosophy and Responsibilities/Role in Football). At present given there is a particular emphasis on certain playing levels, playing populations and research topics, there is a dearth of information in certain areas. As such, researchers should work to ensure there is greater thematic depth as well as an increased volume of research in women's football

Impact of microgrid design parameters on secondary distributed control under FDI attack

The transition towards cleaner energy resources has led to the increased penetration of converter-interfaced distributed generators (DGs) and the extensive use of information & communication technologies (ICT) in power systems. Although recent efforts have been made to understand, model, and classify converter interactions, much remains unexplored. This complex dynamic structure of emerging smart grids, is a result of DGs' advanced controllers, communication links and the hardware itself. In that framework, the digitization of power systems introduces new vulnerable points that are susceptible to cyber threats. Building on the knowledge stemming from computer science, cyber attacks targeting power systems have been classified, with false data injection (FDI) attacks identified as one of the most common threats. In this paper, the impact of a microgrid's operational and design parameters on its cyber resiliency under FDI attacks on the secondary controller is showcased. In particular, in a modern islanded microgrid comprising grid forming inverters for increased flexibility, and distributed secondary control being implemented as part of its hierarchical control, the impact of the droop gain and the R/X ratio of the lines on the microgrid's inherent cyber-resilience against FDI attacks is demonstrated. In the analysis the current limitation is taken into consideration as studies often focus solely on the small signal stability properties of a system, overlooking the power constraints

The global spectrum of tree crown architecture.

Trees can differ enormously in their crown architectural traits, such as the scaling relationships between tree height, crown width and stem diameter. Yet despite the importance of crown architecture in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, we lack a complete picture of what drives this incredible diversity in crown shapes. Using data from 374,888 globally distributed trees, we explore how climate, disturbance, competition, functional traits, and evolutionary history constrain the height and crown width scaling relationships of 1914 tree species. We find that variation in height-diameter scaling relationships is primarily controlled by water availability and light competition. Conversely, crown width is predominantly shaped by exposure to wind and fire, while also covarying with functional traits related to mechanical stability and photosynthesis. Additionally, we identify several plant lineages with highly distinctive stem and crown forms, such as the exceedingly slender dipterocarps of Southeast Asia, or the extremely wide crowns of legume trees in African savannas. Our study charts the global spectrum of tree crown architecture and pinpoints the processes that shape the 3D structure of woody ecosystems

The Monika Encounter: A Mixed Methods Study of a Techno-Based Ghostly Episode

Haunted People Syndrome (HP-S) characterizes recurrent ‘ghostly episodes’ as an interactionist phenomenon emerging from people with heightened somatic-sensory sensitivities that are stirred by dis-ease states, contextualized with paranormal belief, and reinforced via perceptual contagion and threat-agency detection. We tested the applicability of this psychological model via a three-part, quali-quantitative case study of a 36-year-old male in France, who self-reported successive encounter experiences seemingly triggered by the popular horror game and visual novel, Doki Doki Literature Club! The percipient completed several standardized measures that mapped the contents and context of his experiences, including indices of ‘deep’ imaginary companions, stigmata-like marks, and enchantment effects. We also conducted independent content analyses of his written account to compare the narrative’s development and descriptions to published sequences for HP-S and dissociative phenomena. This episode showed (a) slightly below-average ‘haunt intensity’ and a content structure that paralleled both fantasy and lifestyle-based accounts, (b) an above-average score on a screener for HP-S recognition patterns, which we corroborated with scores on separate measures of transliminality, paranormal belief, and stress levels, (c) a narrative sequence that aligns reasonably well to the posited process of HP-S, (d) clear indications of depersonalization, derealization, and dissociated identity, and (e) aftereffects of situational-enchantment. The percipient’s understanding of his experiences also evolved over time due to active sense-making activities. Our findings support prior research suggesting that embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive cognitions partly help to shape the phenomenology of these often transformative and clinically-relevant experiences

Colourism and law in the UK: a story of colonial indifference?

In this paper I explore legal and judicial responses toward skin tone and colourism in the UK. I argue that despite incidents involving colourism coming before the courts, there is no mention of this oppression in the legal framework. Colourism is invisible to the law and courts. “Colour” is included under the protected characteristic of “race” in the equalities and hate crime frameworks, but this is inadequate. This approach, I argue, reinforces the wider issue that the law is incapable of effectively addressing racism so measures to tackle colourism are even further beyond its scope. The law’s weaknesses here are emblematic of its indifference toward racially minoritised communities and their experiences. This colonial-inspired strategy of indifference is dismissive, dehumanising, and disdainful toward the vulnerable people and groups who are most affected by colourism

Beyond the brain: a computational MRI-derived neurophysiological framework for robotic conscious capacity

Explaining when neural activity supports conscious processing remains an unresolved question in neuroscience. Current frameworks describe correlates of consciousness but rarely provide thresholds to predict its emergence or recovery. We introduce the Attribution Consciousness Index (ACI), a metric that estimates the generative potential of consciousness by balancing measures of dynamic information (Φ) and complexity (κ) expressed as a normalized odds ratio. Using the empirically validated Connectome-76 within The Virtual Brain, we ran 500 resting-state simulations, selecting lowest-entropy regions to capture informative subnetworks. The ACI followed a log-normal distribution and highlighted hubs—cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala—implicated in conscious processing. To test generality, we extended the framework to an artificial neural architecture with hierarchical modules, nonlinear Hebbian plasticity, and controlled entropy. Across 1921 executions, the ACI conformed to log-normal laws, enabling robust thresholding. Kernel ridge regression showed predictive validity: AI-derived ACI patterns explained 38.4 % of variance in human ACI distributions, revealing transferable principles between biological and artificial circuits. This extension indicates that ACI can guide artificial-consciousness models implementable in robotics, providing measurable criteria for when robotic systems might sustain conscious-like states. Two contributions are novel. First, ACI thresholds provide interpretable decision points: values above 10 correspond to probabilities greater than 90 % for conscious emergence. Second, the framework offers translational applications—from prognosis in disorders of consciousness, anesthesia monitoring, and neurorehabilitation to evaluating neuroprosthetics, generative AI, and robotics with conscious capacities. While ACI does not measure subjective experience, it predicts when neural or artificial conditions are poised to sustain it

ActionSync Video Transformation: Automated Object Removal and Responsive Effects in Motion Videos using Hybrid CNN and GRU

Large data volumes, dynamic scenes, and intricate object motions make video analysis extremely difficult. Traditional methods depend on human-crafted features that are not scalable. This work develops a deep neural network-powered automated and controllable video transformation system. The main technique consists of an automated video transformation pipeline driven by spatial-temporal neural network components that are systematically connected. A 16-layer Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) encoder first extracts hierarchical visual features from individual frames to achieve spatial understanding. The CNN encodings are fed into a 512-unit Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) sequencer, which models long-range sequential dynamics of object motions and interactions spanning thousands of frames to gain temporal context. Subsequently, an attentional transformer integrates the individual strengths of the CNN and GRU into unified space-time representations reflecting video contents, object relationships, and interactions over both spatial and temporal dimensions simultaneously. The context-aware representations inform a specialized controller module, which deliberately adjusts backgrounds and object foreground layers based on their modeled connections. Finally, a flexible effects renderer composites the transformed backgrounds and adjusted objects into novel video sequences with effects synchronized to original timelines. Evaluations on a large 51-category video benchmark demonstrate responsive object removal and background substitution effects with strong system accuracy. The framework achieves high precision, recall, and performance on error metrics. Ablations confirm that the fused CNN, GRU, and transformer components enable effective context modeling for deliberate video manipulations aligned to the original footage. Both quantitative and qualitative outcomes evidence the system’s capacity for automated, adaptive effects generation via joint spatio-temporal reasoning

Building Peat: Landscape-scale Habitat Re-creation Within Chat Moss for Wildlife and Climate Benefits

Peatland is a biotope of international importance because of its unique flora and fauna and, when in good condition, the potential for globally significant carbon sequestration and storage. Until 300 years ago Chat Moss was the largest of the lowland raised bogs in the Greater Manchester area, covering over 36 square kilometres. During the Industrial Revolution, Chat Moss and virtually every other peatland in the northwest of England were completely degraded through drainage for peat extraction, agriculture, housing and infrastructure, with some entirely destroyed, resulting in numerous local extinctions. Over the past 40 years there have been determined efforts to restore degraded sites to semi-natural lowland raised bog habitat, increasingly driven by the imperative to protect remaining carbon stocks within peat from oxidisation, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and subsequently resuming carbon sequestration and peat accumulation over the long term. Plans have grown into landscape scale projects, culminating in the formation of a peatlands National Nature Reserve