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Gauging the Standard Model 1-form symmetry via gravitational instantons
Get PDFWe investigate the fate of the Standard Model (SM) ℤ61 electric 1-form global symmetry in the background of gravitational instantons, focusing on Eguchi-Hanson (EH) geometries. We show that EH instantons support quantized ℤ61 fluxes localized on their S2 bolt, inducing fractional topological charge without backreacting on the geometry. The requirement that quark and lepton wavefunctions be globally well-defined under parallel transport imposes boundary conditions, removing ill-defined fermion zero modes; the surviving spectrum is confirmed by an explicit solution of the Dirac equation and by the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem. The Euclidean path integral in the EH background can be interpreted as a transition amplitude from an entangled state between two identical halves of space to the vacuum. Summing over all ℤ61 flux sectors in the path integral gauges the SM 1-form symmetry; thus, it cannot persist as an exact global symmetry in the semiclassical limit of gravity. We further show that these fluxes induce baryon- and lepton-number violating processes, which are exponentially suppressed due to the smallness of the hypercharge coupling constant
Influence of Grain Arrangement on Particle Mobility and Patterns of Variability Between Gravel Bed Rivers
Get PDFPlain Language Summary: The way that gravel is arranged on the bed of river influences how much flow is required to move the gravels. This is important in channel management, because it gives insight into the sensitivity of a river to future change. However, the arrangement of channel bed material and its effect on bed stability is not well understood, because river gravels vary in size and shape, which also influence the arrangement of gravels on the bed, as well as their mobility. The arrangement of gravels also changes through time as grains are moved in response to different histories of flood and low‐flow periods. This study collects grain‐scale surface models from 45 river reaches across England and Wales to evaluate the variability of grain arrangement, and compares the force needed to move gravels with different shapes and structures. River beds with individual grains that are similar sizes, heights and orientations generally require more force to move. This can help to better predict the likelihood of channel bed change using easy‐to‐collect observations from the field
Investigation on thermochemical energy network for efficient waste heat recovery.
Get PDFThe performance of a thermochemical fluid (TCF)-based energy network is investigated for waste heat recovery and sustainable thermal management. An experimental TCF energy network was developed and tested under three different waste heating profiles, i.e. Gaussian, steady, and regenerative thermal oxidiser (RTO), across a range of air and solution flow rates and regeneration temperatures. An artificial intelligence-based multi-layer perceptron simulator was also developed to map the TCF energy network performance. Results demonstrate that higher air flow rates significantly enhance total energy recovery across a wide range of solution flow rates, with potential energy recovery effectiveness reaching around 30%. Increasing the heating temperature significantly improves the moisture recovery performance of the TCF network, while simultaneously reducing the sensitivity of the network to variations in the liquid-to-gas flow rate (L/G) ratio. At higher regeneration temperatures, humidity ratio differences up to 4.3 g/kgda are achieved and the performance differences between L/G ratios become less pronounced. Across all profiles, the water removal to heat supplied (W/H ratio) decreases as the L/G ratio increases, indicating a consistent decline in performance at higher desiccant flow rates. The Gaussian heating profile offers the highest W/H ratio at lower L/G ratios compared to steady and RTO heating profiles. Further, the simulator demonstrates strong predictive accuracy for the TCF-based energy network at lower L/G ratios and under Gaussian and steady heating profiles, with low overall prediction errors. These findings provide essential insights for operating the TCF energy network, emphasising the importance of optimising working fluid operating conditions and regeneration temperatures
Professional perspectives on barriers to accessing maternity care in England: a qualitative study.
Get PDFWomen living on low income in England are at an increased risk of experiencing stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth, low birth weight and maternal mortality. Women with poor access to financial, educational, and social and health resources engage less with health and care services throughout their pregnancy, due to social stressors, low health literacy, digital exclusion, lack of support, language barriers, transport difficulties, and stigma and judgement from healthcare professionals. Existing evidence documents the experiences of women facing socioeconomic disadvantage, little is known about how healthcare professionals understand and respond to these barriers. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore professionals' perceptions of the barriers pregnant women living on low income face when accessing maternity care. Data were collected through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with professionals (i.e., midwives, health visitors, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) practitioner) working in the NHS, local authority or VCSE organisations in the North East of England. Purposive snowballing sampling was used to recruit participants. Anonymised interview data was thematically analysed and incorporated Ecological Systems Theory (EST). Seventeen participants were interviewed (NHS maternity services n = 6; local authority n = 3 and VCSE n = 8). Data highlighted three interlinked levels of barriers that professionals perceived pregnant women living on low income experience accessing maternity care: structural, interactional and individual. Structural barriers included digital exclusion, language-related difficulties and service delivery challenges related to staffing shortages. Interactional barriers included limited social networks, lack of partner involvement, and experiences of racism and discrimination. Lastly, individual level challenges included cost of travel and other pregnancy-related costs, fear of professionals and unfamiliarity with services. Findings from this study present professionals' perspectives of the different challenges pregnant women living on low income face when accessing maternity care. These include language and communication, a lack of social support network, the cost and time of travel and the fear of professionals and unfamiliarity of service. Recommendations to improve access to maternity services include the implementation of recycled smart phones, the use of digital translation apps within appointments and the use of pre-paid travel vouchers. [Abstract copyright: © 2026. The Author(s).
Questioning Hadrian’s Wall: A case study of evidential reasoning in archaeology
No full textThis book explores how evidential reasoning is conducted in archaeology, using Hadrian’s Wall as a case study. It collates and examines the archaeological evidence for the Wall, including how that knowledge has itself been constructed, and how it corresponds with multiple working hypotheses. Tacking between the existing interpretations and the constructed data, it draws the consistent elements together into an explanation centred around deterrence — the Wall as a means to inspire awe and enable punitive action. Examining both the theory and prevalence of deterrence in classical antiquity, the study emphasises the potential Hellenic influences on the Emperor Hadrian. The aim is to capture the ongoing debates surrounding evidence and interpretation and use these as a catalyst — rather than an obstacle — to further research, simultaneously questioning how archaeological knowledge comes into being and contributing to the continuing discussion around boundaries and bordering in the ancient world
Review of Vasiliou, Iakovos. Varieties of Happiness. Eudaimonism and Greek Ethical Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2025
No full textInterventions for Intrafamilial Physical Abuse and Violence Against Children
Get PDFRising concern in Scotland: In 2024 - 25, Police Scotland recorded 776 cases of cruelty to or maltreatment of children, a 26% increase on the previous year and 8% higher than in 2015- 16, highlighting the urgent need for evidence-based responses to physical abuse. The most common referral leading to an Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD) in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is intrafamilial physical assault, with many children remaining at home with the alleged perpetrator if it is felt to be the most proportionate response and in the child’s interests
OPTICAM reveals hints of cyclotron emission from the intermediate polar V709 Cas
Get PDFMagnetic cataclysmic variables of the intermediate polar (IP) subclass display a wide range of variability across different wavelengths. In late 2024 October/early November, the IP V709 Cas was observed over 10 nights by the OPtical TIming CAMera at the San Pedro Mártir Observatory in simultaneous three-colour (g, r, and i, or z band) photometry. On two of these nights, V709 Cas was simultaneously observed by the Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR X-ray telescope. A periodogram analysis of the optical g- and r-band light curves reveals no prominent features at the white dwarf (WD) spin, but prominent features at the spin-orbit beat. In contrast, the X-ray and near-infrared (near-IR) i- and z-band periodograms show prominent features at the spin, but not the spin-orbit beat. Optical beat and near-IR spin pulsations have been seen in the IP PQ Gem, with simultaneous circular polarization detected in the near-IR, indicating cyclotron origin. We therefore speculate that we are seeing cyclotron radiation from V709 Cas, possibly adding it to the small group of cyclotron-emitting IPs. Combining analytical approximations with our expectation for cyclotron harmonics in the near-IR, we suggest a WD magnetic field strength of 10 MG< B < 40 MG
Leadership, Organisation and the Sustainability of Teacher Work: Towards a Processual View of Education
No full textThere is clear evidence that teacher work is increasingly unsustainable, leading to an impact on health and well-being, and sector-wide and international challenges such as teacher retention and recruitment. Leadership, Organisation and the Sustainability of Teacher Work focuses on the intersections between educational leadership, organisational processes, well-being and how these relate to concerns regarding teacher work, workload and the sustainability of the profession.Amidst the performative pressures on teachers, the authors explain that central to all these issues is the process of leadership and its embedded nature within organisations. Leaders play an important role in developing positive workplace environments in which teachers can thrive, but their work is part of a wider flow of activities which constitute the essential nature of organisations and hence teacher work. By advocating a view of leadership, organisation and teacher work as complex, intertwined tangles of processes, this book begins to sketch out an alternative perspective for understanding educational organisations and how the work of teachers might be made sustainable
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