University of Birmingham

Does gender enter the ballot box? Uncovering gender dynamics in Spanish voting patterns

Gender issues have moved to the centre of electoral politics in many democracies, driven by feminist mobilization on one side and anti-gender backlash on the other. Yet we know relatively little about which specific gender-related attitudes shape vote choice and why some gender p...

The new NHS quality strategy and the debate over patient safety

John Tingle , Associate Professor, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some recently published reports and considers the debate about relative priorities of patient safety and healthcare quality

Secondary use and scholarly impact of a portfolio of clinical trials with shared individual participant level data: cross sectional study

Abstract Objective To assess the number, timing, characteristics, and scholarly impact of secondary publications generated using individual participant level data (IPD) from a portfolio of clinical trials shared with external investigators through a data sharing platform. Design...

Mast cells enhance venous thrombus stability and lung fibrin deposition in murine sepsis.

Venous thrombo-embolism is a serious complication of sepsis despite standard thromboprophylaxis. Mast cells (MCs) promote deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in sterile murine models, but their contribution during sepsis remains unknown. We explored the role of MCs in DVT in lipopolysacch...

It's not easy being green: embedding environmental sustainability in training material

UKRI is committed to reaching Net Zero by 2040 and RSE/DRI will be key to achieving this. Green software practices will play a crucial role in this transition and so are increasingly discussed in the community - in part thanks to the Green RSE Special Interest Group. For full ado...

First draft genome sequence of the emerging sexually transmitted dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII

Abstract Trichophyton mentagrophytes ITS-genotype VII (TMVII) is a globally emerging sexually transmitted dermatophyte causing severe skin infections characterised by painful, pustular lesions on the face, public area, genitalia, and trunk. To inform the prevention efforts, we pr...

Coordinated control of heterogeneous grid-connected energy storage systems

In this paper, it is demonstrated how the coordinated control of heterogeneous grid-connected Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) can result in increased profits compared to operating the ESSs independently when participating in the UK frequency market. A heterogeneous set of ESSs is m...

Oral health and systemic health outcomes: A call for interdisciplinary action

Abstract Objectives To make the case, from periodontology and dental public health, for interdisciplinary action on oral and systemic health, and to set out recommendations for practice, policy, education, and research. Materials and Methods A joint working group of the European...

Interfacial Salinity–Transport Matching in 3D Solar Evaporators: A Framework for Brine‐Stable Solar Interfacial Evaporation

ABSTRACT Solar‐driven interfacial evaporation is commonly optimized through photothermal absorption and evaporation flux normalized by projected illuminated area. This metric is useful for quasi‐2D evaporators and dilute feeds, but it does not resolve the coupled constraints that...

Epigenomic Landscape of Oak ( Quercus robur ) across Season and Generation

Seasonal fluctuations strongly shape the physiology of long-lived trees by coordinating growth, dormancy, and stress responses. Increasing evidence points to epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, as regulators of these processes, yet their role in long-lived trees...

Physical and Psychological Features During Remission From Non‐Specific Neck Pain

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the physical and psychological features present during remission from non-specific neck pain, yet this may be relevant for the high incidence of neck pain recurrence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted with 60 participan...

Enabling alloy screening via multi-material printing using a production PBF-LB machine

The development of novel functional alloys is often constrained by the onerous and costly discovery to validation process. Herein, we present a set-up to enable multi-material production of specimens through in-situ alloy formation using a production laser-based powder bed fusion...

Carbon and nitrogen availability affects biofilm growth and morphology of the extremotolerant fungus Knufia petricola

ABSTRACT Rock-inhabiting fungi thrive in subaerial oligotrophic environments, such as desert rocks, solar panels, and marble monuments, where organic carbon and nitrogen are scarce. We tested whether the rock-inhabiting fungus Knufia petricola showed a preference regarding nitrog...

The structure of the dopamine D 3 receptor bound to cariprazine reveals principles for partial agonists with designed pharmacology

The third-generation antipsychotic cariprazine is a low-efficacy partial agonist of the dopamine D 3 receptor (D 3 R). Here, we report the cryo–electron microscopy structure of cariprazine bound to D 3 R, establishing a framework for understanding ligand recognition in this recep...

Debating the Delphi View of Dyslexia: A Response to Metsala, Morsanyi and Colleagues

ABSTRACT Several commentators have discussed the consensus view of dyslexia that emerged from a Delphi survey reported by Carroll, Holden and colleagues. Here the authors respond to the commentaries, agreeing that different definitions of dyslexia may be required for different pu...

136 Tessa Jowell BRAIN MATRIX interim analysis: surgical and oncology outcomes in glioblastoma patients

Abstract Introduction The Tessa Jowell BRAIN MATRIX (TJBM) is a programme of work aimed at improving the knowledge of and treatment for glioma, comprising a platform study with subsequent interventional clinical trials. Methods Interim analysis of first 500 patients from 11 speci...

Semi-pessimistic Reinforcement Learning

Offline reinforcement learning aims to learn an optimal policy from pre-collected data. However, it faces challenges of distributional shift, where the learned policy may encounter unseen scenarios not covered in the offline data. Additionally, numerous applications suffer from a...

From epistemic injustice to public knowledge: Peer research and the sociological imagination

This paper examines peer research as a sociological practice through which marginalised experience becomes public knowledge. Drawing on a reflexive study of a participatory project in a socioeconomically deprived community in the United Kingdom, it brings the sociological imagina...

The Journal of Open Source Software - An Introduction and Recent Changes

The Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS; https://joss.theoj.org) publishes concise peer-reviewed articles describing open source research software. The review process is open, iterative and includes evaluation of the software and its related attributes. The primary objectives a...

Recombinant shingles vaccination and the risk of cardiovascular events

Abstract The recombinant herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine may reduce risks of cardiovascular disease. However, existing studies have compared vaccine recipients with non-recipients and, thus, are susceptible to confounding. To mitigate these biases, we conducted a natural experim...