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Gender equality is widely recognized as a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development, social well-being, and inclusive growth.Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, SDG 5 explicitly underscores gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls as essential enabling conditions for achieving the broader 2030 Agenda.Despite this global commitment, gender disparities continue to persist as deep-rooted structural challenges across many scientific disciplines, including geoscience.Geoscience plays a pivotal role in addressing some of the most pressing contemporary challenges, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable resource management, disaster risk reduction, and environmental protection.However, the historical contributions of women to geoscience, as well as their current and potential future roles, have frequently been undervalued, overlooked, or insufficiently documented.Although recent decades have witnessed a notable increase in the number of women entering geoscience and other STEM fields at both undergraduate and doctoral levels, this growth has not translated proportionally into representation in senior professional positions.Empirical evidence consistently points to a pronounced "leaky pipeline," in which women remain significantly underrepresented in permanent academic appointments, leadership roles, and decision-making bodies within the geoscience community.This Special Issue of Episodes, "Empowerment of Women in Geoscience toward the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality)," emerges from the recognition that addressing gender disparity in geoscience is not only a matter of equity, but also a necessary condition for scientific excellence, innovation, and sustainable development.At the professional level, gender imbalances limit the diversity of perspectives, restrict scientific creativity, and, ultimately, weaken the capacity of geoscience to respond effectively to global environmental and societal challenges.The motivation for this Special Issue was twofold.First, it aims to critically examine the structural, institutional, and sociocultural factors that hinder women's full participation and advancement in geoscience.Second, it highlights successful initiatives, best practices, and role models that can inspire and support the next generation of geoscientists, regardless of gender, while contributing to the development of more inclusive and equitable scientific communities.

INTRODUCTIONABvac40 is an investigational active immunotherapy (vaccine) targeting Aβ40. This study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of ABvac40 in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or very mild Alzheimer's disease.METHODSAB1601 was a multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase 2 study. Patients (n = 124) received five monthly injections plus a 10‐month booster of ABvac40 or placebo, with 18–24 months of follow‐up. Primary endpoints included safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity. Secondary endpoints assessed immune response, neuropsychological changes, and disease biomarkers.RESULTSTreatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious TEAEs were comparable between ABvac40 (90.6% and 26.6%) and placebo (93.3% and 26.7%). Amyloid‐related imaging abnormalities‐hemorrhage (ARIA‐H) were similar (12.5% ABvac40; 15.0% placebo), with no ARIA‐edema (ARIA‐E) or meningoencephalomyelitis. ABvac40 induced a specific, sustained immune response in plasma, with detectable antibodies in CSF.DISCUSSIONThese findings support further investigation of ABvac40 as a potential disease‐modifying therapy.Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03461276 (ClinicalTrials.gov)HighlightsABvac40 was safe and well‐tolerated in early‐stage Alzheimer's disease patients.No amyloid‐related imaging abnormalities‐edema (ARIA‐E) or encephalitis observed; ARIA‐hemorrhage (ARIA‐H) rates were similar across groups.Specific, sustained immune response to ABvac40 in plasma, with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibody penetration.Cognitive scales and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric data favored ABvac40 over placebo.Results support further development of ABvac40 as a disease‐modifying therapy.

Investigator-initiated clinical studies (IICSs), also referred to as non-commercial, academic or independent clinical studies, address important research questions that are usually neglected by industry despite their high societal value. Indeed, industry may direct their focus and resources on studies that will yield results and products that can ultimately generate revenue for the company. Conversely, IICS research questions include (a) refining or getting new indications of available treatments (drug repurposing); (b) optimisation, by comparing various health products or treatment regimens; and (c) innovation, especially for advanced therapies. Multinational IICSs increase the scientific quality of the data by exchange of research ideas, scientific techniques and tools. Participation of patients from different geographical, social and ethnic backgrounds equally adds to the value of study results and yields more generalisable evidence than a study confined to a single geographical location. Multinational IICSs are generally sponsored by non-profit/academic organisations and publicly funded. Funding has been already identified as a main challenge for the conduct IICS and especially for clinical trials (IICTs, IICS where a medical intervention is directly tested). Main barriers to the conduct of multinational IICTs with public funding include:Limitations of budget and duration of the eligibility of costsLack of flexibility to move funds transnationallyTendering rulesComplexity in the reporting of the eligible costs to funders We describe why there is a need to support multinational IICS, what should be their objectives and what are the current funding mechanisms in Europe. Strategies for funding multinational IICS should evolve to mitigate identified barriers, thus facilitating research that can provide answers to highly relevant questions in healthcare which are less likely to be answered by studies funded by the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.

Despite the overall safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations, rare cases of systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs) have been reported post-vaccination. This study used a global survey to analyze SAIDs in susceptible individuals' post-vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted among participants with self-reported new-onset SAIDs using the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) 2 study dataset-a validated, patient-reported e-survey-to analyze the long-term safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Baseline characteristics of patients with new-onset SAIDs and vaccinated healthy controls (HCs) were compared after propensity score matching based on age and sex in a 1:4 ratio. Of 16 750 individuals, 74 (median age 52 years, 79.9% females, and 76.7% Caucasians) had new-onset SAID post-vaccination, mainly idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) (n = 23, 31.51%), arthritis (n = 15; 20.53%), and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) (n = 12, 16.40%). Higher odds of new-onset SAIDs were noted among Caucasians (OR = 5.3; 95% CI = 2.9-9.7; p < .001) and Moderna vaccine recipients (OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.3-5.3; p = .004). New-onset SAIDs were associated with AID multimorbidity (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.7; p < .001), mental health disorders (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.3-1.9; p < .001), and mixed race (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.2-4.2; p = .010), where those aged >60 years (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4-0.8; p = .007) and from high/medium human development index (HDI) countries (compared to very high HDI) reported fewer events than HCs. This study reports a low occurrence of new-onset SAIDs following COVID-19 vaccination, primarily IIMs, PMR, and inflammatory arthritis. Identified risk factors included pre-existing AID multimorbidity, mental health diseases, and mixed race. Revaccination was well tolerated by most patients; therefore, we recommend continuing COVID-19 vaccination in the general population. However, long-term studies are needed to understand the autoimmune phenomena arising post-vaccination.

Abstract Extended hydrometric (water level and flow) records are presented for eight Irish catchments subject to arterial drainage. The procedures employed to collect and process historical data, extend flow records and compile key metadata and information about each gauging station are described. Procedures are developed to handle data quality issues related to hydrometric practices and equipment malfunction and to quality assure rescued data using quality codes that complement modern hydrometric practices. The workflow developed will assist other hydrometric data rescue efforts and minimize subjectivity during the rescue process. The newly extended records represent the longest continuous river flow series available in Ireland, extending to the commencement of formal hydrometric monitoring in the country in 1940. The resultant data sets add 150 years of daily data across eight stations and will provide a key new resource for hydrological studies into the impacts of arterial drainage and flow nonstationarity.

A praticabilidade tributária, sobretudo no Brasil, pode ser vista como uma categoria “nova”, já que os esforços de sistematização racional do tema são recentes. Este artigo investiga a natureza e o fundamento da praticabilidade tributária no Sistema Constitucional brasileiro. Após esse esforço analítico, estabelecem-se critérios de controle do uso da praticabilidade, como forma de evitar usos meramente retóricos do princípio. Essa conjugação de análises semântica, sintática e pragmática do tema permite que se revele a funcionalidade, por excelência, da praticabilidade, que é a busca da redução da complexidade do Sistema Tributário, colaborando, ainda, para se investigar as conexões próximas do tema com o dever de conformidade. Para tanto, investiga-se, a partir de aportes da psicologia comportamental, como praticabilidade e conforme se imbricam, a ponto de induzir comportamentos dos contribuintes e órgãos fazendários, melhorando o Sistema Tributário pelo fomento da cooperação nas relações entre eles.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> Knowledge of regional changes in mean sea level and local changes in tides are crucial to inform effective climate adaptation. An essential element is the availability of accurate observations of sea level. Sea level data in the Republic of Ireland, prior to the establishment of the National Tide Gauge Network in the mid-2000s, are limited but belie a wealth of historical data available in archival form. In this study, we digitize records located in Cork Harbour, Ireland, from 1842 and show how short-duration (6–8 weeks), high-quality data with a large interval to the present can accurately inform tidal and mean sea level changes. We consider error sources in detail. We estimate for the main M2 tidal constituent that the accuracy of these historical measurements is 1 % and 2 min for amplitude and phase, respectively, once adjustments for seasonal and nodal effects are made. Our mean sea level estimates are accurate to the 2 cm level, once adjustments for atmospheric and seasonal effects are made. Our results show tidal stability with a 2 % change in the amplitude of the M2 component, 4 min change in the phase over a period of 177 years, and mean sea level rise of 40 cm in the Cork Harbour area from 1842 to 2019, approximately in line with global mean sea level trends plus local glacial isostatic adjustment. More broadly, we show that with careful seasonal, nodal, and atmospheric corrections, together with knowledge of benchmark provenance, these historic, survey-oriented data can accurately inform of sea level changes.

Growing up in a rural setting is a strong predictor of future rural practice for physicians. This study reports on the fifteen-year decline in the number of rural medical students, culminating in rural students' representing less than 5percent of all incoming medical students in 2017. Furthermore, students from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups in medicine (URM) with rural backgrounds made up less than 0.5percent of new medical students in 2017. Both URM and non-URM students with rural backgrounds are substantially and increasingly underrepresented in medical school. If the number of rural students entering medical school were to become proportional to the share of rural residents in the US population, the number would have to quadruple. To date, medical schools' efforts to recognize and value a rural background have been insufficient to stem the decline in the number of rural medical students. Policy makers and other stakeholders should recognize the exacerbated risk to rural access created by this trend. Efforts to reinforce the rural pipeline into medicine warrant further investment and ongoing evaluation.

This study develops a coherent framework to detect those catchment types associated with a high risk of maladaptation to future flood risk. Using the “scenario‐neutral” approach to impact assessment the sensitivity of Irish catchments to fluvial flooding is examined in the context of national climate change allowances. A predefined sensitivity domain is used to quantify flood responses to +2 °C mean annual temperature with incremental changes in the seasonality and mean of the annual precipitation cycle. The magnitude of the 20‐year flood is simulated at each increment using two rainfall‐runoff models (GR4J, NAM), then concatenated as response surfaces for 35 sample catchments. A typology of catchment sensitivity is developed using clustering and discriminant analysis of physical attributes. The same attributes are used to classify 215 ungauged/data‐sparse catchments. To address possible redundancies, the exposure of different catchment types to projected climate is established using an objectively selected subset of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 ensemble. Hydrological model uncertainty is shown to significantly influence sensitivity and have a greater effect than ensemble bias. A national flood risk allowance of 20%, considering all 215 catchments is shown to afford protection against ~48% to 98% of the uncertainty in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 subset (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5; 2070–2099), irrespective of hydrological model and catchment type. However, results indicate that assuming a standard national or regional allowance could lead to local over/under adaptation. Herein, catchments with relatively less storage are sensitive to seasonal amplification in the annual cycle of precipitation and warrant special attention.

Flooding of coastal areas can be caused by a number of contributing factors: high river flows, high tides, storm surges or a combination thereof. This paper presents results of a numerical modelling investigation of the role of river flow in flooding of Cork City. The Cork City urban flood model was developed by dynamically linking a storm surge model of the northeast Atlantic with the multi-scale nested flood model, MSN_Flood, which uses nesting to telescope down from 90m resolution in Cork Harbour to 2m resolution in the city streets. LiDAR data was used to create the urban flood plain. The model is used to hindcast the 2009 major flood event and is shown to accurately recreate the flood levels and extents. The model is then used to investigate the contributions of river flows to flooding in the city by simulating a range of peak flow scenarios combined with spring and neap tidal conditions. It is shown that flooding is relatively minor for peak flows less than 300 m3/s, while peak flows in excess of 500 m3/s result in extensive flooding of the city centre regardless of tidal condition.