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Borrowed competence: Socially extending the mind to extend digital practices
Get PDFThis study extends current understanding of digital competence by exploring alternative skill sets harnessed by digitally disadvantaged groups that enable their practices to continue. By combining practice theory with the socially extended mind framework, we address the research question: What forms of offline competence support the integration of digital practices among a disadvantaged consumer group, and how do these competences influence the cohesion and continuity of their practices? Through an ethnography of a ‘Street Church’ community, we demonstrate how different forms of offline social interaction (i.e., sequential, synchronised, substitutive) and group culturefunction as valuable resources for guiding digital practices, without requiring practice carriers to embody digital skills. This study challenges conventional conceptualisations of competence, illustrating that competence no longer needs to be embodied but can be borrowed. This shifts the focus away from what defines competence to how different forms can produce similar outcomes inpractices
Inflammation and IL-4 regulate Parkinson’s and Crohn’s disease associated kinase LRRK2
Get PDFMutations in Leucine-Rich Repeat protein Kinase 2 (LRRK2) are associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Crohn’s disease (CD), but the regulation of LRRK2 during inflammation remains relatively unexplored. Here we describe the development of a flow cytometry-based assay to assess LRRK2 activity in individual cells and the generation of an EGFP-Lrrk2 knock-in reporter mouse to analyse cell-specific LRRK2 expression. Using these tools, we measured LRRK2 levels and activity in murine splenic and intestinal immune cells and in human blood. Anti-CD3 induced inflammation increases LRRK2 expression and activity in B cells and monocytes, while in mature neutrophils, inflammation stimulates activity but reduces LRRK2 expression. A kinase-activating PD-associated LRRK2-R1441C mutation exacerbates inflammation-induced activation of LRRK2 specifically in monocytes and macrophages. We identify IL-4 as a novel T-cell-derived factor that upregulates LRRK2 expression and activity in B cells, replicating inflammatory effects observed in vivo. Our findings provide valuable new insights into the regulation of the LRRK2 pathway in immune cells, crucial for understanding LRRK2 and its therapeutic potential in inflammatory diseases such as CD
Challenging dyads as defaults in research on childhood social cognition
Get PDFEarly in life, children develop the socio-cognitive tools to benefit and learn from interactions with others, allowing them to thrive in the diverse social and cultural niches of their respective communities. Over the past decades, developmental science has critically deepened our understanding of childhood social cognition and its ontogenetic foundations
Wave power extraction from a U-shaped oscillating water column consisting of a flexible bottom-standing front wall
No full textIn this paper, the concept of a U-shaped oscillating water column (UOWC) device consisting of a flexible bottom-standing front wall is proposed. The deflection of the flexible wall could bring benefits for wave power absorption. To evaluate the hydrodynamic performance and predict the wave power absorption of the flexible UOWC, a theoretical model based on the linear potential flow theory and the Galerkin approximation method is developed. For some examined flexible UOWCs, three peaks of the frequency response of the maximum wave power capture efficiency are observed, in which two are related to the resonant frequencies of the oscillating water column and the 1st natural mode of the flexible wall, respectively, and one could be related to wave near-trapping. The flexural rigidity of the flexible bottom-standing front wall is found to be a key factor affecting the performance of the device. As the dimensionless flexural rigidity increases, the three peaks of the efficiency-wave frequency curve move toward large frequencies and a large bandwidth of high efficiency is achieved
Opening spaces for the emergence of community economy initiatives
No full textThe background to the thesis is the crisis of affordable housing in the UK, and the emergence of community housing initiatives as a response. There are enabling organisations which provide support, but despite an increasing recognition of the contribution that housing makes to carbon emissions, affordability rather than sustainability remains the primary focus. In particular, the use of natural materials with low embodied carbon is often dismissed as unaffordable. The thesis therefore explores how a community housing enabling organisation might reconcile the apparently conflicting aims of affordability and sustainability. There is a gap in research into this area, in particular in the field of diverse/community economies research, within which this thesis is located. The fieldwork was undertaken as action research into the work of an enabling organisation over a five year period, using the methods of participant observation and reflexive narrative. The resulting data was analysed with a theoretical framework that drew on, synthesised and supplemented the work of Gibson-Graham and Ingold. The findings of the research reveal the way in which shifts in language and subjectivity are necessary in order to support changes in collective action within community economies. However, in order to bring a greater focus to considerations of sustainability, the thesis proposes that an emphasis on embodied engagement with materials and processes of making needs to be integrated with these elements. The research revealed the way in which they flowed together into an emergent and on-going meshwork of actors and contingent influences, in a way that enabled sustainability as well as affordability to be addressed. The thesis also contributes to practice in the domain of community housing by providing a transferable case study illustrating how a concern for sustainability has been integrated into the work of an enabling organisation, including new approaches to design, construction and training
A Federated Approach to Scalable and Trustworthy Financial Fraud Detection
No full textFinancial fraud remains a critical challenge for digital banking, requiring detection solutions that ensure both scalability and data privacy. Traditional centralized approaches face limitations due to security risks and system bottlenecks. This paper proposes FedFraud, a novel federated learning (FL) framework that detects fraudulent transactions without sharing raw data. FedFraud introduces two key innovations: (i) a trust-aware client aggregation mechanism that assigns weights based on update reliability and (ii) an asynchronous communication protocol enabling clients to contribute updates independently. Evaluated on the Credit Card Fraud Detection dataset under a nonidentically distributed (non-IID) data setting where client data distributions differ significantly, FedFraud achieves an F1-score of 0.90 and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.96, outperforming FedAvg and state-of-the-art methods like FedGAT and FL-BGAT. It also reduces privacy leakage to 1.5% and limits gradient reconstruction success—the ability to infer raw data from model updates to 15%, compared to 35% for FedAvg. Designed for real-world deployments such as cross-institutional banking systems, FedFraud enables scalable, robust, and privacy-preserving fraud detection across distributed financial networks
Understanding the role of pluralistic ignorance in biodiversity conservation: A research agenda
Get PDFMost people believe that biodiversity loss is human-caused, yet they may not realize how many others share this belief. Such collective misperceptions—known as pluralistic ignorance—may hinder individual and system changes required to address biodiversity loss. At the same time, reducing pluralistic ignorance may promote positive change. In this Perspective, we provide a brief overview of existing work on pluralistic ignorance about environmental topics and propose an agenda for impactful pluralistic ignorance research in the biodiversity domain. We highlight several research gaps and offer recommendations, including (a) investigating different forms of pluralistic ignorance, (b) improving our understanding of consequences and determinants, and (c) broadening the intervention toolkit to counter pluralistic ignorance for biodiversity conservation. To increase the Perspective’s practical applicability, we describe historical and contemporary case studies on pluralistic ignorance and biodiversity conservation from around the globe
Beyond the Surface: How Depth Alters Face Perception
No full textResearch in face perception has predominantly utilized two-dimensional images, which does not fully capture the complexities of human perception as it operates in real-world settings. Previous studies have demonstrated that 3D objects elicit different neural and behavioral responses compared to their 2D counterparts, suggesting a more profound engagement with and processing of real-world objects and environments. Grounded in the understanding that human visual perception has evolved in three-dimensional environments, this research addressed a notable gap in the literature on facial perception. This study investigates the impact of presentation modality (2D vs. 3D) on the perception of facial attractiveness, dominance, and masculinity using virtual reality (VR) technology. Results showed that 3D faces were perceived as slightly more attractive and masculine than 2D faces. Dominance ratings, however, appeared unaffected by dimensionality. Given the small effect sizes, our results should be interpreted viewed cautiously, and further research is needed to clarify the influence of dimensionality on social trait perception
Microplastic accumulation in a mixed species seagrass bed in the Tamar Estuary, Torpoint, Cornwall, UK
No full textMicroplastic pollution is a major threat to UK seagrass habitats, which provide essential ecosystem services by supporting biodiversity and economically valuable fish species. Seagrass beds, acting as long-term ‘sinks’ for microplastics due to their dense canopies face a high risk of degradation. This study investigated microplastic accumulation in the sediment of a mixed species (Zostera marina and Nanozostera noltei) seagrass bed in the Tamar Estuary, Southwest England, considering the effect of sediment particle size. Microplastics were extracted by density separation using Sodium Bromide (NaBr) and sediment particle size analysis was used to investigate the seagrass bed sediment. FT-IR analysis was used to identify polymers, and microscopy was used to quantify plastic particles. Microplastics were found in all samples ranging from 33.34kg-1 to 1033kg-1 of dry sediment, with blue fibres (45%) proving the most common. ANCOVA revealed a positive relationship between seagrass bed density and microplastic accumulation (p\u3c0.005). FT-IR results indicate microplastic particles originate from a range of anthropogenic sources mostly associated with land, which highlight the need to investigate the transport routes of microplastics into water bodies. These findings highlight the urgency to assess microplastic pollution in the Tamar Estuary’s seagrass habitats to inform conservation strategies and protect at-risk organisms from habitat degradation and bioaccumulation, this includes identifying potential sources of microplastic pollution and the need for ongoing monitoring and research
All rivers reach the sea: Can we improve ocean conservation through improving public understanding of the connections between marine and terrestrial systems?
No full textWith marine environments facing growing threats and their connections to terrestrial environments often disregarded, understanding public perceptions of these connections is crucial for effective ocean conservation. This study aimed to assess public understanding of the interconnectedness of marine and terrestrial environments and its influence on ocean conservation efforts. To achieve this, two questionnaires (N=560) were distributed among over 18’s (N=301) and under 18’s (N=259) evaluating their knowledge on the connections between marine and terrestrial environments, engagement with conservation and views on education and responsibility. The results indicated a limited understanding and awareness of marine-terrestrial connections, particularly among under 18’s. Current education on conservation topics were found to be lacking with only 15% of under 18’s learning about them monthly, potentially contributing to this disparity. A significant difference in concern for ocean health was also observed between the two age groups, with nearly half (48%) of over 18’s extremely concerned about ocean health, compared to the 8% of under 18’s. However, a general consensus emerged across both questionnaires, with widespread agreement that enhancing understanding of marine-terrestrial connections would be beneficial. The study concluded that improving public understanding of the interconnectedness between marine and terrestrial environments is essential for improving ocean conservation. It further highlighted the need for improved educational strategies and public engagement to promote sustainable behaviours and support effective conservation efforts