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Re-evaluating the role of partnership-related perceptions in women’s preferences for men with masculine face shapes.
Get PDFMany researchers have proposed that women perceive men with masculine face shapes to be less suitable as parents and long-term partners than men with feminine face shapes, causing women to find masculine men more attractive for short-term than long-term relationships. However, recent work shows that results obtained using the type of experimentally manipulated stimuli that were employed in studies presenting evidence for these claims are not necessarily observed when natural (i.e., unmanipulated) face stimuli were used to suggest that the evidence for these claims may need to be revaluated. Consequently, we tested for possible relationships between ratings of natural male faces for parenting- and relationship-related traits and shape masculinity (Study 1) and also tested whether women's preferences for shape masculinity were stronger when natural male faces were rated for short-term relationships than when natural male faces were rated for long-term relationships (Studies 2 and 3). We saw no evidence for either of these predictions, instead finding that men with more attractive faces were perceived to be better parents and better long-term partners. Thus, our findings do not support the widely held view that masculine men are more attractive for short-term relationships because they are perceived to be unlikely to invest time and effort in their romantic partners and offspring
Supernatural spectacle cinema: the anxiety of un-belonging and the haunted house in contemporary Hollywood horror films
Get PDFMuch recent scholarship involving ghosts has focused upon spectrality as a metaphor for trauma. While this is a fruitful area of research, in the case of Film Studies, this risks flattening haunted house films to the status of ‘text’ and overlooking their filmic quality, which sets them apart from other artforms.
This thesis centres the supernatural as a diegetic reality, focusing on the cinematic representations of ghosts, demonic entities, and haunted houses in the period between 1979 and 2015. To examine these hauntings, the thesis reads the films using three technical languages of filmmaking; cinematography, set design, and sound design. These languages make the mechanisms of hauntology visible, making this a complementary approach to traditional readings based on spectrality and trauma.
These readings are underpinned by theoretical and thematic work around belonging, the influence of technology, and the cultural stagnation created by neoliberalism. Mark Fisher’s work on the weird and the eerie becomes the starting point for belonging, and reading the languages of filmmaking reveals that in these films, it is the living that do not belong in these spaces, rather than the dead. The supernatural keeps these haunted houses caught in the past, unavailable for occupation in the present. While Fisher’s assertion that neoliberalism created a post-millennial cultural stagnation in the UK, these films reveal the same problem in the United States, where these Hollywood-produced films are haunted by the spectres of The Amityville Horror (Stuart Rosenberg, 1979) and Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, 1982). The discussion explores the extent to which the living can return the domestic spaces to the present.
This thesis examines how the technical languages of filmmaking represent haunting on screen and visualise aspects of the Gothic around space and isolation, while revealing this preoccupation with the weird and eerie as central components of a haunting
Diagnosis as a new beginning not an end: A participatory photovoice study on navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood
Get PDFAutistic people diagnosed in adulthood often report that the experience can be life-changing, but there are issues with the diagnostic pathway. Few studies consider the views of people currently seeking diagnosis or contextualise the experience of diagnosis around developing an autistic identity. In this qualitative participatory study, we explored experiences of navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood in the UK. We recruited six women (aged 21-46) who were seeking diagnosis, who worked with the academic researchers across four sessions to develop the study, share their experiences and analyse the themes. In one session, they completed a semi-structured interview alongside photovoice, a community-based action method, to explain and reflect on their experiences. We used reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns, with four key themes identified: 1) "everything shattered", 2) "being seen", 3) "understanding not judgement, please" and 4_) "here's a leaflet, off you go". The themes reflected a desire for change and improved support for both diagnosis and developing autistic identity. Following photovoice methodology, together we identified actions to improve adult diagnosis, including involving autistic people in making improvements to the diagnostic criteria, for key professional and community groups to listen more to autistic people, and for diagnostic support services to be flexible and appreciative of wider neurodivergence and intersectionality.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
Scoring goals: The impact of English Premier League football teams on local university admissions
Get PDFAnecdotal evidence suggests that co-location with an English Premier League (EPL) football team can boost university recruitment. But when a town or city loses its EPL team, it also loses some of the world's attention. We test whether the EPL limelight does in fact affect university recruitment in England and Wales. We exploit the sharp annual cutoff between survival and relegation from the EPL, comparing the admissions outcomes of universities that have clear name association either side of that discontinuity. On average, losing association with an EPL team, for just one year after its relegation, significantly reduces a university's undergraduate year-to-year admissions growth by 4-8 percent. These findings suggest not only that the EPL generates local externalities but also that university executives should support their local teams
Encroachment and Public Interest
No full textThe article considers the role of public interest in the Scottish courts' exercise of discretion with regard to the removal of encroachments. The article is in two parts. The first considers the nature of "public interest". The second considers the relevance of public interest considerations in private law in general and encroachment in particular
Preliminary analysis of wind and wave retrieval from Chinese 1mC-SAR image
Get PDFChinese satellite carrying synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with spatial resolution up to 1 m, denoted as 1mC-SAR, is the successor of Gaofen-3 (GF-3). The main purpose of this study is to conduct the preliminary analysis of wind and wave retrieval from more than 400 1mC-SAR images acquired in quad-polarization stripmap (QPS), which are located at China coastal waters on April 2023. The co-polarized (vertical−vertical [VV] and horizontal−horizontal [HH]) geophy sical model function (GMF), denoted as CSARMOD-GF, is employed for wind speed retrieval from those images taking prior information on wind directions from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Validation against the wind products from Haiyang-2 (HY-2) (2B/2C/2D) scatterometers yields a 1.78/1.91 m/s root mean squared error (RMSE) with a 0.22/0.23 scatter index (SI) for SAR retrievals at VV/HH polarization channels. Moreover, the accuracy of SAR-derived winds at spatial resolution of 2 km for QPS-I and 6 km for QPS-II is relatively higher than that achieved from the retrievals at spatial resolution of 4 km for QPS-I and 12 km. The wave slop spectrum is inverted from co-polarized image by polarimetric technique, in which the term of wind speed is included in the model transfer function (MTF) of tilt modulation. Significant wave height (SWH) retrievals are compared with the simulations by the third-generation numeric wave model, denoted as WAVEWATCH-III (WW3), showing a 0.53 m RMSE with a 0.36 SI. This behavior is also confirmed as comparing with SAR-derived wave spectra and WW3-simulated wave spectra, i.e. a 0.79 correlation coefficient (Cor) and a 0.92 squared error (Err). The variation of bias in wind speed and SWH indicates an increasing tendency with the growth of sea state, meaning that calibration is a heedful issue for 1mC-SAR
Keratinocytes drive the epithelial hyperplasia key to sea lice resistance in coho salmon
Get PDFBackground Salmonid species have followed markedly divergent evolutionary trajectories in their interactions with sea lice. While sea lice parasitism poses significant economic, environmental, and animal welfare challenges for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibit near-complete resistance to sea lice, achieved through a potent epithelial hyperplasia response leading to rapid louse detachment. The molecular mechanisms underlying these divergent responses to sea lice are unknown. Results We characterized the cellular and molecular responses of Atlantic salmon and coho salmon to sea lice using single-nuclei RNA sequencing. Juvenile fish were exposed to copepodid sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), and lice-attached pelvic fin and skin samples were collected 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, 48 h, and 60 h after exposure, along with control samples. Comparative analysis of control and treatment samples revealed an immune and wound-healing response that was common to both species, but attenuated in Atlantic salmon, potentially reflecting greater sea louse immunomodulation. Our results revealed unique but complementary roles of three layers of keratinocytes in the epithelial hyperplasia response leading to rapid sea lice rejection in coho salmon. Our results suggest that basal keratinocytes direct the expansion and mobility of intermediate and, especially, superficial keratinocytes, which eventually encapsulate the parasite. Conclusions Our results highlight the key role of keratinocytes in coho salmon’s sea lice resistance and the diverged biological response of the two salmonid host species when interacting with this parasite. This study has identified key pathways and candidate genes that could be manipulated using various biotechnological solutions to improve Atlantic salmon sea lice resistance
Towards a network learning system: reflections on a university initial teacher education and school-based collaborative initiative in Chile
Get PDFThis article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional learning in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through collaboration in a university–school partnership. The Chilean education system, characterised by market-oriented reforms and competition, serves as a unique context where to explore the development of an initiative designed to reframe relationships between ITE staff and school teachers with the purpose of reducing the distance between academic preparation and the day-to-day realities of teaching in schools. The findings of this exploratory study offer optimistic insights on how the initiative becomes a space for building trust and relationships among professionals and disrupts boundaries between institutions enhancing teacher professional learning, which are particularly promising given the policy context
A content analysis of nicotine descriptors on the front of vape packaging in the United Kingdom
Get PDFIntroduction The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) 2016 require consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) to be informed about the presence of nicotine in vaping products. However, there is misunderstanding among some young people and adults around the strength of products. We examined how nicotine content is displayed on the front of vape packaging in the UK. Methods Between August and December 2022, we systematically analysed a representative, stratified selection of vapes and refill packs (n=156) on the UK market to assess TRPR compliance. This paper presents an analysis of free-text responses collected to indicate the presence of nicotine information on the front-of-pack including metric, percentage, graphic, and text indicators. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics produced for the sample as a whole and for five product categories. Results Most packs (n=126, 81%) displayed at least one front-of-pack nicotine descriptor, including the majority of disposables (n=43, 90%), e-liquid (n=42, 88%) and refill pods (n=36, 100%). Many packs (n=107, 69%) contained a nicotine-related metric (e.g. mg/ml), a quarter (n=37, 24%) included a percentage indicator and most (n=126, 81%) displayed at least one of these. Almost two-fifths (n=57, 37%) mentioned nicotine beyond the warning. Less observed indicators included graphic and textual depictions of strength, dosage information, and equivalent number of cigarettes. Conclusion The front of vape packaging communicates important product information to consumers. There is inconsistency in how nicotine content is currently displayed. Future research should examine how best to display nicotine content to promote consumer understanding and informed decision-making. IMPLICATIONS This pack analysis of a representative sample of UK vape packaging highlights the varied way in which nicotine content and strength is currently communicated to consumers on the front of vape packaging. The inconsistent presentation of nicotine content on the front of packs may contribute to misperceptions around product strength. A consistent and easily understood way of communicating nicotine content on the front of vape packaging may help consumers make more informed choices about vape products
Litigation and liability in concussion research and collaboration
Get PDFThis paper explores, first, the common law principles of personal injury litigation explored through court decisions relating to sports injuries in (primarily) England and Wales and, second, the statutory schemes relating to concussion liability in the US. It explores the difficulties of using those civil law strategies as a means of establishing liability for injuries arising from sports-related concussion (SRC) and explains why they are of such limited utility. While proposed class actions over historically-acquired injuries or individual litigation over recent catastrophic injury may have some merit, and while future amendments to the US laws might remove some of their inherent flaws the difficulties in establishing liability for personal injury will always be exacerbated by the specific characteristics of SRC and the legal, factual and evidential issues that arise. For those reasons, the paper considers the potential benefits of other means of concussion prevention and mitigation, including no-fault compensation and mandatory insurance, the more widespread use of effective, nuanced concussion protocols and inter-disciplinary research which engages with doctrinal legal research.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
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