143174 research outputs found
Sort by
How can energy-system models inform technology development? Insights for emerging energy-storage technologies
No full textPreprint versio
A vertical-slice frontogenesis test case for compressible non-hydrostatic dynamical cores of atmospheric models
No full textA new test case is presented for evaluating the compressible dynamical cores of atmospheric models. The test case is based on a compressible vertical-slice model that can be obtained by simple modification of a standard three-dimensional (3D) compressible dynamical core. On the one hand, an advantage of the test case is that it is quasi-2D, so it can be run quickly on a standard workstation, enabling rapid experimentation with numerical schemes and discretisation choices. On the other hand, the test case exhibits frontogenesis, a challenging regime for numerical discretisations, which usually only arises in 3D model configurations for the compressible case. Numerical results of the test case using an implicit time-stepping method with a compatible finite-element discretisation are presented as a reference solution. An example comparison between advective and vector-invariant forms for the advective nonlinearity in the velocity equation demonstrates one possible use of the scheme. The comparison shows a Hollingsworth-like instability when the vector-invariant form is used
Climate change tripled heat-related deaths in early summer European heatwave
No full textHuman-caused climate change intensified the recent European heatwave and increased the number of heat deaths by about 1,500 in 12 European cities.
Focusing on ten days of heat from June 23 to July 2, the researchers estimated the death toll using peer-reviewed methods and found climate change nearly tripled the number of heat-related deaths, with fossil fuel use having increased heatwave temperatures up to 4°C across the cities.
They warn that heatwave temperatures will keep rising and future death tolls are likely to be higher, until the world largely stops burning oil, gas and coal and reaches net zero emissions.
It is the first rapid study to estimate the number of deaths linked to climate change for a heatwave and was led by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Growth in a changing climate: workshop report
No full textThis report summarises discussions held at two events exploring Growth in a Changing Climate held in June 2025.
Economic growth is the Government’s number one mission. This will only be achieved if we think about growth in the context of a changing climate and take account of the physical impacts of climate change that are now locked in because of historic and ongoing emissions.
Businesses need to be able to deal with our new and evolving climate reality. This means fully appreciating the physical risks that climate change will bring and taking action to build resilience
Evaluating cerebral microbleeds in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia
No full textImmune thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune disorder characterised by premature platelet
destruction. Despite low platelet counts, children with ITP rarely have severe bleeding, most
enter early remission, and many do not receive treatment. However, the long-term impact of
ITP in children is not known. Given that occult cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are seen in adults
with ITP, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of CMBs in children with ITP, and if
there was any impact on patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), and any associations
with platelet function defects.
Fifty children (median age 13.4 years, range 8-18) with ITP (median disease duration 28
months, range 1-129) and at least one platelet count 9/L were recruited for a study
including MRI brain, PROMs and platelet function studies.
CMBs were identified in 8 patients (16%) (median 2, range 1-10 CMBs) and no controls. CMBs
were significantly related to higher bleeding scores (p=0.008, Mann-Whitney) and days with
platelets 9/L (p=0.039). Brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) were detected in
some patients, currently of uncertain significance.
38% of children were fatigued, 24% had impaired cognition and 50% of children and 78% of
parents had impaired QoL. Fatigue and impaired QoL were more common in females. Fatigue
was correlated with older age at diagnosis (p=0.0012, Spearman correlation) and higher
bleeding scores (p=0.0081). Impaired QoL was correlated with older age at diagnosis
(p=0.014) and lower platelets (p=0.017). CMBs/WMHs were not associated with fatigue,
impaired QoL or cognitive impairment.
Platelet phenomic analysis to assess platelet function demonstrated greater variation in
platelet sensitivity in children with ITP than paediatric controls.
In summary, CMBs, impaired QoL, fatigue and significant parental impact are prevalent in
paediatric ITP. Further study is required to understand mechanisms underlying fatigue and
impaired cognition, and utility of neuroimaging and platelet phenomics for therapeutic
stratification.Open Acces
Identification to cytospecies of the vector of onchocerciasis in the Republic of Niger
No full textIn order to incriminate the vector that was responsible for onchocerciasis transmission in the Republic of Niger, where WHO have declared that the disease has been eliminated, cytotaxonomic identifications were collated from published and unpublished sources. Data on 1205 cytotaxonomic identifications of members of the Simulium damnosum complex collected as larvae in the country from 1967 to 1991 showed that, with the exception of five S. damnosum s.str., all identifications were S. sirbanum, which is thus confirmed as the almost exclusive vector in Niger. Some of the main breeding sites are described and illustrated and circumstantial evidence is presented that the form of S. sirbanum commonly found in Niger is zoophilic as well as anthropophilic
The effectiveness of virtual reality simulated scenarios at improving medical students’ confidence and engagement in clinical communication: an observational cohort study
No full textBackground
Effective communication is a core component of medical training, yet opportunities to practise emotionally challenging conversations such as those involving distressed families are often limited in clinical placements. Virtual reality (VR) offers a scalable, immersive teaching tool that may enhance student confidence and engagement in communication skills training.
Methods
A prospective observational study was conducted with fifth-year medical students in their penultimate year of study at Imperial College School of Medicine. Participants engaged in a VR session simulating an emotionally charged conversation with an upset family. Pre- and post-session questionnaires assessed self-reported confidence using a 5-point Likert scale. Student engagement was measured objectively using the validated Behavioural Engagement Related to Instruction (BERI) tool. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. As there was no comparator group, findings should be interpretated as exploratory.
Results
Of the 109 students, 62 completed both pre- and post-session questionnaires (57%). A significant median increase of one point in self-reported confidence was observed (p < 0.001). Engagement was high, with minimal distraction events which were attributed solely to technical issues.
Conclusion:
VR-based clinical communication training resulted in increased self-reported confidence and was well received. This modality shows promise as a scalable, engaging complement to traditional teaching methods in medical education
Influence of global climate modes on wildfire occurrence in the contiguous United States under recent and future climates
No full textPredictable modes of climate variability, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), have a major influence on regional weather patterns, an important control on wildfire occurrence. Although these global climate modes have been associated with historical variability in wildfire occurrence in the United States and are used to forecast seasonal wildfire risk, precise information about the spatial pattern and magnitude of their influence is lacking and the satellite record of wildfires is too short to address these issues. Here we use wildfire occurrence model with a large ensemble of 1600 simulated years from EC-Earth3 in a recent climate (2000–2009) and a future climate corresponding to + 2 °C global warming, to characterise the impact of specific climate modes on wildfire occurrence in the contiguous US. We show that ENSO, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and the 1-year lagged Tropical North Atlantic (TNA+1) have the greatest effect on annual fire occurrence—strongly contributed by the effect of these modes on hot, dry conditions in the Great Plains and precipitation in the southwestern US. El Niño is not significantly associated with wildfire occurrence in the northwestern US, contrary to expectation, but is associated with a later (earlier) wildfire season peak in the southwestern (southeastern) US. Under future warming, the AMO and PNA become a significant influence over most of the US, and the magnitude of impact of ENSO and TNA+1 increase strongly
Psychedelic therapy as relational medicine: psychosocial mechanisms in clinical and naturalistic contexts
No full textThis thesis explores the psychosocial mechanisms underlying therapeutic responses to psychedelic interventions, advancing an enactive biopsychosocial perspective that foregrounds dynamic and reciprocal causal relationships between biological, psychological, and social processes. While clinical studies increasingly demonstrate the efficacy of serotonergic psychedelics for a range of mental health conditions, the contribution of relational factors - such as therapeutic alliance, group dynamics, and socially enriched settings - remains insufficiently understood. To better characterize the role of psychosocial dynamics, three empirical studies were conducted across clinical, naturalistic, and digitally mediated settings.
Study 1 (Chapter 3) analysed data from a randomized controlled trial comparing psilocybin with escitalopram, demonstrating that therapeutic alliance predicted depression outcomes in the psilocybin arm, mediated by the quality of acute subjective psychedelic effects. Study 2 (Chapter 4) examined data from naturalistic psychedelic group experiences, identifying 'communitas', a transient state of intense togetherness and shared humanity, as a key predictor of enduring improvements in well-being and connectedness, and shifts in metaphysical beliefs. Study 3 (Chapter 5) evaluated a group-based virtual reality program leveraging psychedelic-like states, finding positive psychological effects in participants with life-threatening illnesses, underscoring the relevance of context even in non-pharmacological psychotropic interventions.
Together, these findings suggest that rather than functioning solely as biomedical interventions, psychedelics may act as amplifiers of relational processes and be best understood as hybrid pharmaco-psychosocial interventions. This work supports the clinical integration of psychedelics as part of psychosocially enriched therapeutic paradigms and contributes to broader debates about the role of relational context and intersubjectivity in mental health care.Open Acces
Human class B1 GPCR modulation by plasma membrane lipids
No full textThe class B1 G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) subfamily is a class of receptors known for their regulatory roles in metabolism and neuronal activity and as important drug targets. Lipids play key functional roles in modulation of GPCR signalling, yet our understanding of the molecular level detail of specific lipid interactions with class B1 GPCRs remains limited. Here we present coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the active and inactive states of 15 human class B1 family members and use aiida-gromacs to capture full provenance for the set-up of simulations in complex plasma membranes. Receptors exhibit state-dependent lipid interactions with the regulatory sterol cholesterol and phospholipid phosphatidylinositiol-3,4-bisphosphate (PIP2) at defined locations on the receptor surface. Global analysis of trends across the subfamily reveals conserved patterns of lipid interaction dynamics. The glycosphingolipid GM3 exerts a modulatory influence on the dynamics of class B1 extracellular domains in both simulations and in vitro time-resolved FRET assays