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Synergies between Roman Galactic Plane Survey and other major surveys
No full textNancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will revolutionize our understanding of the Galactic Bulge with its Galactic Bulge Time Domain survey. At the same time, Rubin Observatories's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will monitor billions of stars in the Milky Way. The proposed Roman survey of the Galactic Plane, with its NIR passbands and exquisite spacial resolution, promises groundbreaking insights for a wide range of time-domain galactic astrophysics. In this white paper, we describe the scientific returns possible from the combination of the Roman Galactic Plane Survey with the data from LSST
L2 pragmatic development in constructing and negotiating contextual meanings
Get PDFThe way in which L2 learners construct pragmatic and social meanings, including stances and identities, is emerging as an important research concern. In this study, we explore how L2 learners develop the ability to construct and negotiate pragmatic and social meanings, with a focus on meanings manifested in specific contexts, namely, contextual meanings. Specifically, we trace the development made by a group of 30 L2 Korean learners in their understanding of the contextual meanings of Korean first-person pronouns over the provision of L1- and L2-generated input and an awareness raising activity. Our findings reveal that provision of input of the underlying stereotypical meanings facilitated learners’ (re-)construction and negotiation of contextual meanings. The learners developed from oversimplistic form-meaning connections to more context-based and internally logical interpretations of contextual meanings, constructed new contextual meanings from the input, and agentively negotiated between the input and their existing indexical systems. The findings raise important pedagogical implications, including reconsideration of the assessment of pragmatic and sociolinguistic competence
Tribotronic Components: A Revolution Transforming Machine Elements into Cyber-Physical Systems
Get PDFThis paper explores the development of a subject called “tribotronics”, the science of actively controlled tribological elements and considers the potential of tribotronics as part of a revolution machine element design for the future. It presents a “state of the art” assessment of some devices that can be considered to be “tribotronic” which are in common use now, as well as reviewing examples of recent progress in research in tribotronics. It also presents a “perspective” on the future challenges and likely developments in the subject, including the integration of tribotronics with developments in other fields of digital technology, such as Industry 4.0, the “Internet of Things” and machine learning, potentially leading to “cyber tribotronic systems”. It is concluded that it is inevitable that tribotronics will contribute significantly to transforming the design of the components and machines of the present day into the cyber-physical systems in the future
'Violence and desire from the Renaissance stage to the Wild West: Angela Carter and the two John Fords'
No full textThis essay explores the significance of violence and desire in Angela Carter’s work, and how her writing around these themes, in particular her short story ‘John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ (1988), draws upon and responds to iconic cultural expressions from different genres and historical periods. Carter’s appropriation and intertwining of the discourses of desire from Renaissance drama and the cinematic tradition of the Western are analysed and the essay investigates the extent to which Carter’s writing suggests a (dis)continuity in patriarchal social mores and in the status of sibling incest as an ultimate expression of tragic, forbidden love. Carter’s distinctive combination of attention to the specificities of genre and period and willingness to experiment with the short story form is considered in relation to the fascinating intersection of prose narrative, dramatic text and invented film script in her fiction. The discussion interrogates Carter’s treatment of the relationship between sexuality and male violence on the Jacobean/Caroline stage and in Westerns, exploring the social dynamics and consequences for gender politics of the rebellious and incestuous violation of patriarchal law and the spectacle of its punishment
Investigating Ultra-Large Large-Scale Structures: Potential Implications for Cosmology
Get PDFLarge-scale structure (LSS) studies in cosmology map and analyse matter in the Universe on the largest scales. Understanding the LSS can provide observational support for the Cosmological Principle (CP) and the Standard Cosmological Model (ΛCDM). In recent years, many discoveries have been made of LSSs that are so large that they become difficult to understand within ΛCDM. Reasons for this are: they potentially challenge the CP, (i.e. the scale of homogeneity); and their formation and origin are not fully understood. In this article we review two recent LSS discoveries: the Giant Arc (GA, ∼1 Gpc) and the Big Ring (BR, ∼400 Mpc). Both structures are in the same cosmological neighbourhood -- at the same redshift z∼0.8 and with a separation on the sky of only ∼12∘. Both structures exceed the often-cited scale of homogeneity (Yadav+ 2010), so individually and together, these two intriguing structures raise more questions for the validity of the CP and potentially hint at new physics beyond the Standard Model. The GA and BR were discovered using a novel method of mapping faint matter at intermediate redshifts, interpreted from the MgII absorption doublets seen in the spectra of background quasars
The “Doing” of Compassionate Care in the Context of Childbirth From a Women’s Perspective
Get PDFWomen who are giving birth need to be met with compassion and understanding from healthcare professionals. However, there are growing concerns about the perceived lack of compassion in the delivery of healthcare services in general and maternity care in particular. We conducted 15 qualitative interviews with women who had given birth in Norway within the previous year, asking them to describe their experiences of compassionate care. We aimed to explore what healthcare professionals “do” that is experienced as compassionate. The analysis was informed by Paul Gilbert’s theory of compassion and a concept analysis of compassionate midwifery undertaken by Ménage and colleagues. The compassionate caring actions of healthcare professionals that were identified in the women’s narratives generated five themes: attuning actions, validating actions, contextualizing actions, empowering actions, and small acts of kindness. The findings build on the prior theoretical concepts used for the study and provide a nuanced account of how women perceive compassionate care from healthcare professionals. They could contribute to understanding more of the meaning and nature of compassionate care during childbirth. The analysis indicates the importance of ensuring that compassionate care is at the very core of maternity care services
Effectiveness of early vocational rehabilitation versus usual care to support RETurn to work After stroKE: a pragmatic, parallel arm multi-centre, randomised-controlled trial
Get PDFBackground
Return-to-work is a major goal achieved by fewer than 50% stroke survivors. Evidence on how to support return-to-work is lacking.
Aims
To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Early Stroke Specialist Vocational Rehabilitation (ESSVR) plus usual care (UC) (i.e. usual NHS rehabilitation) versus UC alone for helping people return-to-work after stroke.
Methods
This pragmatic, multicentre, individually randomised controlled trial with embedded economic and process evaluations, compared ESSVR with UC in 21 NHS stroke services across England and Wales. Eligible participants were aged ≥18 years, in work at stroke onset, hospitalised with new stroke and within 12-weeks of stroke. People not intending to return-to-work were excluded. Participants were randomised (5:4) to individually-tailored ESSVR delivered by stroke-specialist occupational-therapists for up to 12-months or usual National Health Service rehabilitation. Primary outcome was self-reported return-to-work for ≥2 hours per week at 12-months. Primary and safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population.
Results
Between 1st June-2018, and 7th March-2022, 583 participants (mean age 54.1 years [SD 11.0], 69% male) were randomised to ESSVR (n=324) or UC (n=259). Primary outcome data were available for 454(77.9%) participants. Intention-to-treat analysis showed no evidence of a difference in the proportion of participants returned-to-work at 12-months (165/257[64.2%] ESSVR vs 117/197[59.4%] UC; adjusted odds ratio 1.12 [95%CI 0.8 to 1.87],p=0.3582). There was some indication that older participants and those with more post-stroke impairment were more likely to benefit from ESSVR (interaction p=0.0239 and p=0.0959 respectively).
Conclusions
To our knowledge, this is the largest trial of a stroke VR intervention ever conducted. We found no evidence that ESSVR conferred any benefits over UC in improving return-to-work rates 12-months post-stroke. Return-to-work (for at least 2 hours per week) rates were higher than in previous studies (64.2% ESSVR versus 59.4% UC) at 12-months and more than double that observed in our feasibility trial (26%). Interpretation of findings was limited by a predominantly mild-moderate sample of participants and the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic impacted the trial, ESSVR and UC delivery, altering the work environment and employer behaviour. These changes influenced our primary outcome and the meaning of work in people’s lives; all pivotal to the context of ESSVR delivery and its mechanisms of action.
Data access: Data available on reasonable request
Azimuthal metallicity variations, spiral structure, and the failure of radial actions based on assuming axisymmetry
Get PDFWe study azimuthal variations in the mean stellar metallicity, , in a self-consistent, isolated simulation in which all stars form out of gas. We find variations comparable to those observed in the Milky Way and which are coincident with the spiral density waves. The azimuthal variations are present in young and old stars and therefore are not a result of recently formed stars. Similar variations are present in the mean age and alpha-abundance. We measure the pattern speeds of the -variations and find that they match those of the spirals, indicating that they are at the origin of the metallicity patterns. Because younger stellar populations are not just more [Fe/H]-rich and alpha-poor but also dynamically cooler, we expect them to more strongly support spirals, which is indeed the case in the simulation. However, if we measure the radial action, J_R, using the Stackel axisymmetric approximation, we find that the spiral ridges are traced by regions of high J_R, contrary to expectations. Assuming that the passage of stars through the spirals leads to unphysical variations in the measured J_R, we obtain an improved estimate of J_R by averaging over a 1 Gyr time interval. This time-averaged J_R is a much better tracer of the spiral structure, with minima at the spiral ridges. We conclude that the errors incurred by the axisymmetric approximation introduce correlated deviations large enough to render the instantaneous radial action inadequate for tracing spirals
Successful Partial Pulpotomy of a permanent mandibular molar: A Two-year Case Report
Get PDFEmerging evidence reveals vital pulp therapy to be an alternative treatment modality for teeth that may have been considered candidates for root canal treatment or extraction. The aim of the procedure is to maintain the vitality of the tooth thus providing minimally invasive treatment. The procedure can be implemented in appropriate cases following clinical and radiographic examination. Direct examination of the exposed pulp tissue under magnification and strict aseptic conditions have been recommended for a successful outcome. This case report describes management of a patient with a deep caries lesion, involving the mesial pulp horn, using a vital pulp therapy procedure. The treatment options and discussions with the patient are highlighted together with the stages of the procedure carried out. A successful outcome of the partial pulpotomy is evidenced by clinical and radiographic examination two years post-treatment
Proficiency-chasing and goalodicy: In prioritising checklists, are we gambling with the future of mental health nursing?
Get PDFIn this discussion paper, I take a critical approach to the use of standardised checklists in practice assessment documents as a valid method of assessing mental health nursing students in the UK. The game Bingo is applied here as a metaphor, highlighting the folly of using standardised cross-field checklists to assess mental health nursing students in practice. Such practices, I argue, amount to little more than a game of proficiency-chasing at the expense of seeking more meaningful learning experiences, especially where practice assessment documents currently prioritise physical health care skills above those required for successful mental health nursing. Furthermore, where the current path to qualification as a mental health nurse in the UK is determined by the navigation of a complex system of checklists and targets, I also argue that goalodicy (as in the goal and actions taken to achieve this becoming the focus, over the very reason the goal exists in the first place) becomes an inevitability; shortcuts justified in the name of achieving broader goals of passing a practice module and eventual qualification as a mental health nurse. This situation, I suggest serves neoliberal, capitalist systems, reinforcing the mechanisation of care while undermining the deeper relational, ethical and philosophical focus of what it means to be a mental health nurse. Alternative methods of practice-based assessments for mental health nursing are considered