192815 research outputs found
Sort by
Self-powered wideband ultrasonic sensor based on capacitive triboelectric technology with ultralow detection limits and superior frequency resolution
No full textThe ultrasound-driven triboelectric nanogenerator with a vibratory membrane layer (USD-VM-TENG) has emerged as a promising self-powered wideband ultrasonic sensor. However, the inherent high detection limit (DL) of existing designs constrains broader applications. Furthermore, an incomplete understanding of the membrane layer’s ultrasound-driven vibration characteristics (USD-VC) hinders deeper insights into the device’s performance and further optimization. In this study, 3D dynamic laser scanning technology is applied to experimentally reveal the broadband USD-VC of the membrane layer for the first time, guiding the innovative design of a cavity-free USD-VM-TENG (CF-USD-VM-TENG). Despite being generally deemed unsuitable for the contact-separation mode of TENGs, the cavity-free structure eliminates the ultrasound-driven contact process and enables contact electrification independently of ultrasonic excitation. As a result, this design adapts exceptionally well to the membrane layer's diverse higher-order vibration behaviors across a broad ultrasonic frequency range, substantially reducing the device's average DL by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to conventional USD-VM-TENGs with cavity structures. The optimized CF-USD-VM-TENG achieves an ultralow DL down to 37.1 Pa@20 kHz. Its calibrated wideband output characteristics and superior frequency resolution of 0.001 kHz offer valuable insights for the device’s further development. Furthermore, it enables an operating frequency up to 25 MHz, along with operating stability and durability (100 million cycles over 20 days). The CF-USD-VM-TENG is successfully demonstrated to extend the ultrasonic sensing applications of TENGs by enabling the detection and recognition of low-intensity, broadband ultrasonic signals. This work paves the way for further advancements of TENGs in ultrasound-related applications
The cost and complexity of minimizing envy in house allocation
No full textWe study almost envy-freeness in house allocation, where m houses are to be allocated among n agents so that every agent receives exactly one house. An envy-free allocation need not exist, and therefore we may have to settle for relaxations. We study different aggregate measures of envy as markers of fairness. In particular, we define the amount of envy experienced by an agent a w.r.t. an allocation to be the number of agents that agent a envies under that allocation. We quantify the envy generated by an allocation using three different metrics: 1) the number of agents who are envious; 2) the maximum amount of envy experienced by any agent; and 3) the total amount of envy experienced by all agents, and look for allocations that minimize one of the three metrics. We prove a host of algorithmic and hardness results. We also suggest practical approaches for these problems via integer linear program (ILP) formulations and report the findings of our experimental evaluation of ILPs. Finally, we study the price of fairness, which quantifies the loss of welfare we must suffer due to the fairness requirements, and present tight bounds as well as algorithms that simultaneously optimize both welfare and fairness
Addressing data gaps and assessing noise mismodeling in LISA
Get PDFDue to the complexities of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), data gaps arising from instrumental irregularities and/or scheduled maintenance are unavoidable. Focusing on merger-dominated massive black hole binary signals, we test the appropriateness of the Whittle-likelihood on gapped data in a variety of cases. From first principles, we derive the likelihood valid for gapped data in both the time and frequency domains. Cheap-to-evaluate proxies to p-p plots are derived based on a Fisher-based formalism, and verified through Bayesian techniques. Our tools allow to predict the altered variance in the parameter estimates that arises from noise mismodeling, as well as the information loss represented by the broadening of the posteriors. The result of noise mismodeling with gaps is sensitive to the characteristics of the noise model, with strong low-frequency (red) noise and strong high-frequency (blue) noise giving statistically significant fluctuations in recovered parameters. We demonstrate that the introduction of a tapering window reduces statistical inconsistency errors, at the cost of less precise parameter estimates. We also show that the assumption of independence between inter-gap segments appears to be a fair approximation even if the data set is inherently coherent. However, if one instead assumes fictitious correlations in the data stream, when the data segments are actually independent, then the resultant parameter recoveries could be inconsistent with the true parameters. The theoretical and numerical practices that are presented in this work could readily be incorporated into global-fit pipelines operating on gapped data
On sanctions and the enforcement of international law: a rule of law analysis
Get PDFSanctions are often seen as a tool for the enforcement of international law. This article argues that sanctions cannot function as a legitimate tool for enforcement in this context because, as presently designed and deployed, they lack authority in the Razian sense. This is a result of the fact there is a necessary connection between legitimate authority and the rule of law (ROL). Evaluating sanctions practice through a ROL lens reveals that sanctions do not meet basic ROL standards. They are mainly imposed by a certain group of powerful states, and their use is inconsistent and unpredictable. While others have critiqued sanctions as ineffective or inappropriate tools for enforcing international law, approaching the issue through the ROL allows us to critique sanctions on law’s own terms. This perspective highlights how current sanctions practice is not only inadequate but counter-productive – it undermines the very legal authority it seeks to invoke
Environmental racism and “the media-government complex”: failures of municipal waste collection for a racialised community in Bulgaria
Get PDFThis article reports on a discourse analysis of local and state media to demonstrate how environmental racism in a European context is reinforced and legitimised through the joint actions of media and government. Institutional discrimination in household waste collection is sustained through what we term here "the media-government complex”, which is pitted against marginalised communities through the reproduction of racism and antigypsyism. We discuss how, in order to absolve public institutions from responsibility for maintaining equitable access to a clean urban environment, both the media and the government invest in reinforcing hegemonic tropes of “dirt” as associated with classed or racialised communities. A case study of the community of Stolipinovo in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, sheds light on the mechanisms of how the media-government (MG) complex operates to support environmental injustice.
The article contributes to the small yet growing volume of research in the environmental justice field on discrimination in waste removal and inequitable services in Global North contexts. It further adds to work on racialisation through the materiality of waste, on the production of “the Roma” as a racial figure in Eastern Europe, and on the role of the media for sustaining environmental racism
Place-based and intergenerational storytelling for youth climate action: moving beyond participation and towards momentum
No full textThe urgency of the climate crisis necessitates inclusive approaches that engage marginalised groups, particularly youth, in meaningful and sustained ways. This paper explores the transformative potential of place-based and intergenerational storytelling for fostering youth climate action, drawing on insights from a British Academy-funded project in Vietnam. Building on Lundy’s Model of Participation, we integrate “momentum” as a critical extension to sustain youth engagement within and beyond initial participation. The project involved 18 youth participants co-creating narratives with elders, linking historical resilience to contemporary challenges and stories of hope through creative forms such as picture books and water puppetry. These intergenerational dialogues deepened emotional connections, fostered agency, and anchored climate action within local contexts, and simultaneously maintained motivation and momentum throughout.
In this paper we demonstrate how influence and momentum must be intertwined to achieve lasting outcomes and challenge the often made assumption that momentum is a natural outcome of participation. We argue that in the context of climate change, where challenges are complex and ongoing, momentum must be explicitly nurtured and maintained, and built into frameworks of theory and practice. By embedding place-based and intergenerational storytelling into youth engagement strategies, whist crucially thinking about momentum, we offer a flexible, scalable framework for researchers and practitioners to drive sustainable, impactful youth climate action
Pragmatic language differences in conversation might differentiate between autism and trauma-related disorders
Get PDFBackground:
Clinicians are concerned about differential diagnosis of autism from Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED), as DSED is associated with maltreatment and autism is not. Language and social communication difficulties are common in maltreated children, but DSED is rarely identified within the maltreatment literature. It is unknown if/how the language profiles of children with DSED differ from autistic children.
Objectives:
it was hypothesised that receptive and expressive language difficulties may present in DSED but pragmatic differences, associated with autism, may differentiate autism from DSED. METHODS: We conducted 2 studies: Study 1 compared the receptive vocabulary of 43 children with autism; 24 children with DSED and 37 typically developing (TD) children. Study 2, was an in-depth case series comparing the language profiles (receptive and expressive language and pragmatic language) of autistic children (n = 10) and children with DSED (n = 11), via standardised assessment, and Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) analysis of conversational speech.
Results:
Receptive vocabulary did not significantly differ between groups, but autistic children had greater difficulty when semantic reasoning was required. Children with DSED had greater expressive language difficulties than autistic children (standardised and conversational assessment). While difficulties in narrative discourse overlapped between autism and DSED, other pragmatic language differences differentiated autism from DSED, when SLTs analysed conversational speech. Caregiver report did not identify these differences.
Conclusions:
Maltreated children may present with DSED and are at higher risk of expressive and pragmatic language difficulties. However, observation of pragmatic language differences, associated with autism, may help differentiate autism from DSED
Mass shooters and religious bias in the US printed media: a one card game?
Get PDFWhat drives the religious media bias in their coverage of mass shooters in the US? Understanding the source of media bias can structure future research on the portrayal of mass shooters and can be a major step in promoting bias-free reporting. This article aims to identify the potential determinants of religious media bias by focusing on the shooter (religion and religious motivation) and victim (race) characteristics. It covers 34 mass shootings that took place since 9/11 and conducts content analyses of all media reporting about them in two major newspapers. We provide evidence that media religious bias occurs frequently in the case of Muslim shooters, while the other potential determinants do not make a difference
Copyright and AI in the UK: opting-in or opting-out?
Get PDFThe interface between copyright law and artificial intelligence (AI) is currently the object of global attention. The UK government’s recent public consultation on policy to ensure that ‘the UK’s legal framework for AI and copyright supports the UK creative industries and AI sector together’ is an example of this wider interest, as countries engage in a form of regulatory competition for the most attractive environment for AI development. The option endorsed by the UK government in the consultation document remains close to the EU model, proposing ‘a data mining exception which allows right holders to reserve their rights, supported by transparency measures’. We argue that this approach is a missed opportunity for a more straightforward innovation policy that avoids the problems of rights reservation. Opt-outs from training are difficult to implement technically, they increase costs and create barriers to market entry. Instead, we suggest that there should be much clearer scope for permitted research before market entry within the traditional opt-in framework (avoiding the EU split between commercial and non-commercial research). This should be combined with transparency obligations (triggering potential licensing) and an equitable remuneration provision that enables creatives (authors, artists, performers) to receive a share of licensing revenues negotiated between AI developers and intermediaries (publishers, producers). We review evidence on current licensing practices and consider related legal issues, including data protection, image rights and the sui generis database right
Wellbeing status and priority concerns of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma: results of the EONS PROMs project international online survey
Get PDFPurpose:
Living with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can be challenging. Previous research suggests that patients are faced with variable complexities, although the main focus has been on physical problems. We aimed to generate empirical evidence to better understand patients’ perceptions of adverse impact on wellbeing, to reveal priority concerns, and to explore moderators that could point to a greater risk for declining health status in this patient population.
Methods:
A prospective, international, and cross-sectional online survey was conducted, comprising a demographic/clinical data form, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Biologic Response Modifiers (FACT-BRM) questionnaire, and bespoke closed- and open-ended questions.
Results:
Data from 105 participants were analysed. The typical participant was male, on targeted therapy, and middle-aged (median 42 years), with a median of 54 months since diagnosis, and predominantly originated from the USA or UK. Being unable to work (46%), worrying that their condition would worsen (45%), concerns about psychological support for their partner or family (44%), and being burdened by urinary frequency (43%) were major problems for over 40% of this sample. Concerns about future response to treatment, running out of treatment options, cancer relapse, declining health, dying, and impact on family were also expressed. Older age was linked to higher wellbeing scores.
Conclusion:
Relying on patient-reported outcomes, we were able to reveal the impact of advanced RCC and its management on several interrelated areas of patient wellbeing. These findings need to be validated in other contexts to ensure they are generalisable
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇