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An iconic figure from CARE-HF: the Cardiac Resynchronization - Heart Failure trial
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Identifying the spatio-temporal evolution and driving mechanisms of ecosystem service value in high groundwater table coal mining areas
No full textIn coal mining areas with high groundwater tables, surface subsidence has emerged as a non-negligible phenomenon, stemming from long-term coal mining activities. Employing the Huainan mining area as an exemplar, this research meticulously examines the temporal and spatial attributes of ecosystem service value (ESV) across distinct timeframes of 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, utilizing the refined equivalent factor approach in conjunction with spatial analysis methodologies. To delve into the primary forces driving the observed changes, the optimal parameter-based geographical detector (OPGD) model is subsequently utilized as a tool for analysis. Lastly, the study delves into the trade-offs and synergies existing between four exemplary services at the grid level, utilizing Spearman correlation coefficient and bivariate spatial autocorrelation. The findings suggest that: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the total ESV in the Huainan mining area demonstrated a general increasing tendency, primarily attributed to the increase in waters. (2) Throughout the research period, the ecosystem service functions in the coal mining area all exhibited relatively significant hydrological regulation and waste treatment capabilities. (3) Vegetation factors significantly influenced the ESV in the Huainan mining area. (4) The Huainan mining area predominantly exhibited synergistic effects among ecosystem services, with the most pronounced synergy occurring between cultural services (CS) and regulating services (RS). All services were transitioning towards an enhanced trend of synergistic effects. (5) Significant spatial variations are present in the observed trade-offs and synergies among diverse ecosystem services. The aforementioned research findings will provide scientific theoretical guidance for rational mining activities and ecological environmental governance in coal mining areas
Reflections on privilege and vulnerability: a transnational perspective on language teacher educators’ intersectional identities in the postdigital era
Get PDFIn this paper, I draw upon my experiences as a language teacher educator whose pedagogical and scholarly work has been informed by the intersections of language, education, and social justice. In doing so, I aim to deconstruct binary constructions of oppression by challenging the traditional identity categories imposed on me as a language teacher educator. I approach this from a postdigital and intersectional perspective through a critical reflection on the following questions: As a language teacher educator, how can I understand, examine, and dismantle my own complicity in oppression not only within my educational contexts but also across society at large? How can I become an accomplice to my Black students, students with disabilities, and queer students while also advocating for my own rights as a woman of color and an ethnic minority? What is the balance between self-disclosure, vulnerability, and privilege when our (postdigital) identities are examined through a transnational intersectionality perspective? I explore how language teacher educators can simultaneously occupy positions of privilege and disadvantage and can be both oppressors and oppressed, depending on their identities and social positions within different economic, social, and political contexts. This paper concludes by criticizing the arguments concerning social justice that are framed predominantly in terms of the Global South and the Global North, suggesting that these framings may lack explanatory power if they fail to incorporate an amalgam of postdigital, transnational, and intersectional perspectives that also consider social class and neoliberalism
Photon transport through the entire adult human head
Get PDFSignificance:
The highly scattering nature of near-infrared light in human tissue makes it challenging to collect photons using source-detector separations larger than several centimeters. The limits of detectability of light transmitted through the head remain unknown. Detecting photons in the extreme case through an entire adult head explores the limits of photon transport in the brain.
Aim:
We explore the physical limits of photon transport in the head in the extreme case wherein the source and detector are diametrically opposite.
Approach:
Simulations uncover possible migration pathways of photons from source to detector. We compare simulations with time-resolved photon counting experiments that measure pulsed light transmitted through the head.
Results:
We observe good agreement between the peak delay time and width of the time-correlated histograms in experiments and simulations. Analysis of the photon migration pathways indicates sensitivity to regions of the brain well beyond accepted limits. Source repositioning can isolate sensitivity to targeted regions of the brain, including under the cerebrum.
Conclusions:
We overcome attenuation of
∼
10
18
and detect photons transmitted through an entire adult human head for a subject with fair skin and no hair. Photons measured in this regime explore regions of the brain currently inaccessible with noninvasive optical brain imaging
Waveguide integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for integrated photonics
Get PDFIntegrated photonics is expected to play a key role in the scalability of quantum systems for applications such as quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum internet, and quantum metrology. One of the primary components of quantum integrated photonics is a single photon detector, which reads out the quantum information encoded in photons. Amongst available single-photon detection schemes, superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) remain the most promising technology for effective on-chip coupling, because they can be seamlessly integrated with a wide range of waveguide materials and substrates and have shown unparalleled performance from visible to the mid-infrared regime. Here, we review different aspects of SNSPDs and schemes for their on-chip integration for different integrated photonics applications. Although mostly concentrated on quantum applications, we also cover some of the important wider photonics applications including imaging, AI and machine learning, and single-photon spectroscopy, and conclude the review with a future outlook discussing emerging research areas enabled by photonic integrated circuits based on SNSPDs
Double devolution? examining the case for Scottish ‘Metro Mayors'
Get PDFDirectly elected mayors for the largest English city-regions are now an
established feature of the political landscape, prompting proposals for the
adoption of similar arrangements in Scotland. These ‘Metro Mayors’ are one element of an evolving approach to devolution within England that aims to address regional inequalities. Advocates of Scottish mayors argue that they have the potential to promote economic growth, govern city-regions more effectively and enhance democratic accountability.
However, there has so far been little serious consideration of what a system of Scottish regional mayors might look like in practice. This article seeks to establish a starting point for a more informed debate, drawing on emerging evidence and critical perspectives on the English experience from a regional development perspective. It identifies challenges in translating a model of devolution that is conceptually based on promoting agglomeration and growth in major urban centres to Scotland’s distinct geography, raising questions about how ‘city-regions’ should be defined and what this might mean for other areas. It also identifies policy areas that could potentially be devolved to the regional level. Although the idea of high-profile city figureheads has attracted attention, there is a broader issue of how different places within Scotland should be governed, with appropriate powers and resources to develop effective policies for regional development
Learning about Inclusion Health in undergraduate medical education: a scoping review
Get PDFObjectives: An Inclusion Health movement has gained momentum over the past decade, aiming to address the extreme health inequities faced by socially excluded groups (including people experiencing homelessness, problem substance use, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, vulnerable migrants, sex workers, people in contact with the justice system and victims of modern slavery). Despite this progress, there is a lack of understanding of how the issues are being taught by medical schools. We conducted a scoping review to identify and analyse existing research about Inclusion Health content and pedagogy in undergraduate medical education. Design: A stepwise scoping review methodology was followed in accordance with the latest manual for evidence synthesis from Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Data sources: A search was undertaken across six bibliographic databases, and additional articles were found through citation and grey literature searching. Eligibility criteria: Primary research studies and evidence reviews from 2013 onwards were included. There were no restrictions on language. Data extraction and synthesis: Standardised methods were used to screen possible papers. A charting table was developed to record key information from the 74 papers included. Quantitative steps of the analysis included frequency counts of the extent, nature and distribution of the studies; this was followed by basic qualitative content analysis. Results: Most educational interventions were optional, or student led, with no longitudinal integration across curricula. There was little evidence of co-production with people with lived experience. Challenges included limited curricula time and faculty expertise, being an emotionally challenging subject, limitations of the biomedical model and informal learning perpetuating stigma. Key enablers included structured reflection, support, positive role models, interaction and co-production with people with lived experience, community partnerships and faculty commitment. Conclusions: Developments in undergraduate medical education are required to produce doctors equipped to meet the needs of socially excluded groups. We have summarised key aspects of the literature that will be useful to clinicians and educators in this endeavour
Circular wireless RF systems with recyclable and degradable components based on additively-manufactured liquid metal interconnects
Get PDFFabricating sustainable circuits with low-waste end-of-life is crucial for enabling an electronics circular economy. Here, we present the first circularity-driven fabrication flow for sustainable wireless circuits based on recyclable liquid metals and degradable dielectrics. The proposed recyclable radio frequency (RF) circuits consist of 3D-printed substrates with fluidic channels, e.g. using polylactic acid (PLA), filled with Galinstan interconnects. At their end-of-life, the ICs and liquid metal interconnects are recovered and re-used in functional circuits, over multiple iterations. The printed dielectrics are degraded, with under 2% by weight waste produced. Various RF circuits are demonstrated, up to 4 GHz, including transmission lines based on Coplanar Waveguides (CPWs), with high-performance DC/RF control and filtering, and broadband high-efficiency radiation in a CPW antenna. Active microwave systems are then demonstrated including a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and a multi-layered design for a broadband power amplifier (PA). The circuits maintain a stable performance across over 9 metal and 3 IC re-use cycles. The reliability of the circuits is verified by continuously operating months-old circuits for over 30 hours as well as under-water storage, demonstrating their reliability. Our results pave the way for multi-function, green wireless circuits, reducing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and allowing component circularity
Formal Analysis of Resilience in Transport Systems with Bigraphs
No full textTransport system analysis often relies on simulation, but this makes it tricky to detect rare events and simulation languages are far from the transport domain. We propose modelling transport using a diagrammatic formal method called Bigraphs that allows exact analysis via model checking, and user-defined visual representation of systems. We apply this approach to modelling vehicles moving through a Port and show how it can be used to maximise efficiency and achieve more resilient shipping and logistics
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