Validation of the Short General Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale: The Short GAAIS-10

© 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.With Artificial Intelligence becoming ever more widespread, it is important to have instruments that measure people’s attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence efficiently. Providing such a tool was the aim of the current report. Its authors report the validation of a shortened and further purified version of General Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS) consisting of ten items (Short GAAIS-10) based on empirical survey data from UK-based participants, collected online (total N = 1406). The multi-phase study design was based on Factor Analysis, Item Response Theory, correlation, and multivariate multiple regression. Phase 1 was a rigorous selection phase based on three independent prior samples of approximately 300 participants each (collected in 2021 and 2022). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Polytomous Rasch Analysis (PTA) alongside semantic judgements were used to select 10 items. In phase 2, a new representative UK sample (N = 500) was drawn in 2024 to further validate the Short GAAIS-10. CFA and PTA of the new data revealed good psychometric properties of the Short GAAIS-10, which is bidimensional with two subscales (Positive, Negative). The Short GAAIS-10 showed predictive validity against the Technology Readiness Index based on correlation analysis. Rated comfortableness with seven types of AI applications was positively predicted by the Short GAAIS-10 subscales based on multivariate multiple regression. The Short GAAIS-10 is a valid and streamlined instrument with which to measure General Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence. The ambivalent nature of public AI attitudes is discussed as an important observation for a general AI attitude scale to capture. The contribution of this research is the creation of a short version of a valid and efficient psychometric instrument with which to measure general attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence.This work was supported by the University of Chester under [Grant QR738]

Novel Jet Stability Evaluating Method for DC Plasma Torch

The version of record of this article, first published in Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11090-025-10634-4.The jet stability of a DC plasma torch affects not only the service life of the torch but also processing consistency in industrial applications. To evaluate both instantaneous and longstanding jet stabilities of a plasma torch, a novel jet stability evaluation method has been developed in this study. The collected raw signals were first analyzed using the fast Fourier transform and filtered with identified characteristic frequencies. Based on the filtered signals, a 200 ms sliding window method was employed to evaluate the relative fluctuation of arc voltage in terms of both longstanding and instantaneous jet stabilities of the plasma torch. The results show that: (1) the proposed method can effectively evaluate both instantaneous and longstanding jet stability of a DC plasma torch; (2) the arc voltage and arc current signals contain a characteristic frequency, which is strongly influenced by the gas flow rate; (3) the laminar plasma torch operates stably at an arc current of 90 A, and its longstanding jet stability improves with increasing gas flow rate. The findings and proposed method provide informative guidance to those interested in the improvement of plasma jet stability and processing consistency.The authors appreciate the supports of the Scientific Research and Innovation Team Program of Sichuan University of Science and Technology (No. SUSE652A004), the Luzhou City Science and Technology Plan Project (No.2024JYJ004) and the Key Laboratory of Mechanical Structure Optimization & Material Application Technology of Luzhou (No.SCHYZSA-2025-01)

Effects of hand-rearing and group size on chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) social competence in captivity

The behaviour of individual animals reflects both internal states and external context. For captive animals, their early life experiences can influence later adjustment, partic-ularly their social competence. In addition, the way in which they are housed and their current social grouping context are important factors affecting the expression of social skills. Here, the social behavior of 39 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) was observed to assess whether differences existed due to how the apes were reared and grouped. Be-haviors recorded related specifically to five main components: Sociability, Grooming, Play, Responsibility and Aggression. Chimpanzees in larger groups groomed and played more, while those housed in pairs or trios displayed more and spent more time alone. Mother-reared chimpanzees took more responsibility for soliciting grooming, and interactions between grouping and rearing on chimpanzee agonistic display rates highlighted how both hand- and mother-reared chimpanzees display more if housed in small groups rather than large. Implications for the optimal management and welfare of this highly intelligent and social species are discussed in light of the importance of early life experiences in modulating the impact of current social environment on chimpanzee social profiles.SERC (now BBSRC

Fish and coral communities shape elasmobranch reef use in southern Mozambique

© The Author(s) 2025.We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.Few studies have explored whether a reef’s bioecological structure affects the presence of elasmobranchs. To examine if the structure of a reef’s fish and coral community influences the likelihood of observing certain elasmobranch species, we deployed a remote underwater video station (RUVS) on four reefs in southern Mozambique. A single RUVS was deployed monthly on each reef for 12 months, resulting in 48 deployments and 140 h of video recordings. Images were extracted from the video recordings to estimate the relative abundance of teleost fish and following each camera deployment a 30 m2 belt transect was completed to measure the percentage cover of corals. Coral and fish abundances were then separated into common functional metrics describing each community. NMDS and PERMANOVA were used to estimate if the calculated metrics and observations of elasmobranchs by RUVS varied between the four reefs. Metrics were then analysed for their influence on the composition of each reef’s elasmobranch community within the NMDS ordination space. The relative abundance of coral species was primarily found to be linked with the depth of the reef surveyed. Relative abundances of coral measured on the shallow reef site were distinct from the other examined reefs in ordination space, with less coral cover and a lower overall abundance of teleost and elasmobranch fish. The richness and abundance of teleost fish species, particularly piscivorous fish, was highest on the northern reef where the elasmobranch community was dominated by several species of reef shark. The southern reef also had a distinct richness and abundance of teleost fish species, with a heightened abundance of herbivorous and cleaner fish, and the observed elasmobranch community was mostly comprised of Mobula rays and guitarfish. Our findings suggest that fish and coral communities can significantly differ between reefs with similar abiotic conditions in a relatively small region, and that this can lead to spatially heterogenous patterns of reef use by elasmobranchs. This may suggest that including the protection of reefs with different biological characteristics within local conservation strategies may promote rare and vulnerable regional elasmobranch species ranging from stingrays, guitarfishes, reef sharks, and pelagic rays.unfunde

Flags and frontiers: Linear monuments research in 2025

Providing context and introduction to this seventh volume of the Offa’s Dyke Journal (ODJ), this article reviews the contents as well as select recent related research published elsewhere on linear monuments. The introduction also reviews the Offa’s Dyke Collaboratory’s activities during 2025. The context of Britain’s ongoing public discourse focused on migration and its perceived threats to British and English identities is recognised, with the flag fervour of the summer of 2025 illustrating the ongoing need for academic critiques and comparative research on linear monuments, frontiers and borderlands. Specifically, it argues for the need for resesarch to take into account ephemeral material cultures, signs and symbols as well as monumental architecture in considering how divisions and demarcations are established and perpetuated in landscapes past and present.unfunde

florio HAEMO—A digital medical device for monitoring of treatment, symptoms and physical activities for people living with haemophilia

© 2025 The Author(s). Haemophilia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Introduction: Despite therapeutic achievements in haemophilia care, there is still the need to monitor and define personal treatment outcomes and document results to achieve the best possible care. Hence, a need for unbiased, timely and comprehensive real‐world information exists to support informed shared decision‐making regarding treatment and care. Aim: To describe a medical device for people living with haemophilia (PLWH) supporting an active involvement to achieve a near to normal life. Methods: Florio HAEMO was developed as haemophilia monitoring platform to support PLWH and their care teams in documenting, interpreting and analysing personal reported outcomes. The tool was created partnering closely with PLWH and healthcare professionals to address previously unmet needs compared to existing applications. Results: Florio HAEMO was launched in March 2020. Currently, it is available in 25 countries and 24 languages; 1558 PLWH (86% with haemophilia A) are registered users in 121 treatment centres across 20 countries. All users included are on a prophylactic treatment regimen. Conclusion: Florio HAEMO allows the collection of contemporaneous data to monitor treatment, like factor level, adherence and consumption as well as monitoring treatment outcomes, including pain, bleeds, wellbeing and levels of physical activity to support self‐management, shared decision‐making and to enable better care for PLWH. Data collected over time may help to show the impact of individualised prophylaxis and may support the definition of factor levels required for good bleed and joint protection in a real world setting from daily life to physical activities.Participation of the authors in this board was financially supported by the Florio GmbH, Munich/German

Materiality and Virtuality: Entanglements of Material and Virtual Worlds in Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture

This chapter examines how the Mobility of Objects project sought to enhance the visibility and accessibility of regional museum collections in the UK and Western Europe, leading collaborators to engage critically with the relationship between virtuality and materiality. It addresses three interconnected issues: first, the conceptualisation and application of the terms virtuality, materiality, the virtual, and the material; second, the role of haptic and sensory engagement by academics, pupils, and the public in revealing the multiplicity and “realities” of medieval materials; and third, the potential of digital and virtual-reality reconstructions to open medieval objects to wider audiences and illuminate the dynamic interplay between the virtual and the material. Rob Shields’s observation that “the digitally virtual is […] embedded in the ongoing life of the concrete,” offering both imaginative possibility and a basis for material-world action, provides a critical point of departure for this discussion.unfunde

Community, Cholera, Chapel and Children: The History of Chester Royal Infirmary’s Surviving Stained-glass Windows

The installation of two sets of stained-glass windows at Chester Royal Infirmary in the early twentieth century represent one of the ways in which Florence Nightingale’s suggested improvements to the lives of patients could be achieved through attractive and colourful objects in the hospital environment. Generations of patients were thus able to benefit from these artefacts until the closure of the hospital in 1994 and the removal of the windows from the original building. Four of these windows were installed at the University of Chester’s Wheeler Building (formerly County Hall) as a community project in 2023. Background research was undertaken to piece together the stories behind these windows and the many people involved, who themselves contributed to the hospital, city and beyond in many different ways. Therefore, this article explores the history behind the windows and their time as popular features of this key medical institution, which provided care for Chester’s patients for over 230 years

Prevalence and determinants of HIV testing among adolescent girls and young women in 28 sub-Saharan African countries

The version of record of this article, first published in [BMC Public Health], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25828-wBackground: HIV and AIDS remain a major global public health issue with the largest burden in sub-Saharan African (SSA) (SSA) countries. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the sub-Saharan African region experience intersecting vulnerabilities that may increase their exposure to HIV, while also constraining their engagement with treatment and care. HIV testing is crucial in the AIDS response for both prevention and treatment, therefore, necessitating understanding of HIV testing practices, especially among priority populations. We examined HIV testing and associated factors among AGYW (15–24 years) in 28 SSA countries. Methods: We analysed Demographic and Health Survey datasets from 28 SSA countries from 2010–2022 focusing on data collected from AGYW aged 15–24 (n=58,263) who had screened for HIV in the last survey conducted in each country. We merged all weighted datasets from 28 countries to generate the prevalence of HIV testing among AGYW in each country and to provide an overall prevalence in SSA. We then conducted bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis to examine factors associated with HIV testing and presented the results in crude odds ratio [cOR] and adjusted odds ratio [aOR] with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Our results showed that the overall prevalence of HIV testing among AGYW across the 28 SSA countries was 63%, with Zambia and Mali having the highest and lowest prevalence at 76% 6.70% respectively. Being in the age bracket 20–24 [aOR=2.22, 95% CI=2.08–2.37], comprehensive HIV knowledge [aOR=3.76, 95% CI=2.60–5.43], higher formal education [aOR=2.23, 95% CI=2.02–2.46], and three and above lifetime sexual partners [aOR=1.41, 95% CI=1.29–1.55] were all associated with HIV testing. Also, past year experience of STI [aOR=1.25, 95% CI=1.11–1.41], being employed [aOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.02–1.16], pregnancy history [aOR=1.09, 95% CI=1.03–1.14], high household wealth index [aOR=2.26, 95% CI=1.97–2.59] and being in a union [aOR=3.23, 95% CI=2.97–3.51] were associated with HIV testing. Conclusion: Concerningly, 21 countries, representing 75% of the countries included in the current study, have HIV testing coverage below 50% for AGYW. Collaborative efforts are needed to fast-track HIV screening/testing for AGYW considering their disproportionate vulnerability to HIV exposure.unfunde

The Eat-Out-to-Help-Out incentive: A trigger for gastrointestinal infections in England, 2020?

© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.Our study assessed the link between gastrointestinal (GI) infections in England and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme (EOHO), a government subsidy created to encourage people to eat out during COVID-19 pandemic (03–30 August 2020). We studied national laboratory data between January 2015 and December 2020. We used time series change point analysis to see if there were shifts in reported cases of specific GI infections (Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157, and non-typhoidal Salmonella spp.) associated with the timing of the scheme. Our analysis uniquely applied the Pruned Exact Linear Time method, with generalized linear models to a national dataset of GI infections. This revealed increases in cases closely aligned to the timing of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, prior to the introduction of the EOHO scheme. Our study showed the scheme had no measurable impact, as there was no significant change on reported cases. Substantial reductions in cases after the first lockdown, followed by an increase as restrictions were phased out, show the wider impact of COVID-19 control measures, for example, public information campaigns aimed at improving hand-hygiene. These findings highlight the complicated interactions between COVID-19 control measures, the public’s behaviour, and the spread of GI infections.The protocol, analysis, and manuscript of this study were the product of a training workshop on operational research for frontline public health practitioners and attended by the first author. The workshop was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Gastrointestinal Infections