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GW241011 and GW241110: exploring binary formation and fundamental physics with asymmetric, high-spin black hole coalescences
Get PDFWe report the observation of gravitational waves from two binary black hole coalescences during the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network, GW241011 and GW241110. The sources of these two signals are characterized by rapid and precisely measured primary spins, nonnegligible spin–orbit misalignment, and unequal mass ratios between their constituent black holes. These properties are characteristic of binaries in which the more massive object was itself formed from a previous binary black hole merger and suggest that the sources of GW241011 and GW241110 may have formed in dense stellar environments in which repeated mergers can take place. As the third-loudest gravitational-wave event published to date, with a median network signal-to-noise ratio of 36.0, GW241011 furthermore yields stringent constraints on the Kerr nature of black holes, the multipolar structure of gravitational-wave generation, and the existence of ultralight bosons within the mass range 10−13–10−12 eV
AI, Impact, & Integrity: Bringing Justice & Human-Centred Innovation into Computing [Keynote Presentation]
Get PDFSquaramide-based supramolecular gels for the removal of organic dyes from water matrices
Get PDFA novel family of symmetric squaramide-based LMWGs has been synthesised, functionalized with both dansyl moieties and alkyl chain spacers of different lengths (n = 3 and n = 4 named L1 and L2, respectively). L1 and L2 are able to form hydrogels in the DMSO : H2O mixture in different ratios and concentrations. The gels obtained were characterized by means of rheology, TEM and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Afterwards, the adsorption properties of these materials were studied and the gels were used for the removal of dyes, in particular Nile Blue A, Rose Bengal and Naphthol Yellow S from water samples. The reported results demonstrated the potential use of these materials for the removal of dyes in real polluted water matrices
Characterising protective immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in urban and rural Malawi between February 2021 and April 2022
Get PDFSARS-CoV-2 transmission in Malawi remains unclear due to high proportions of mild/asymptomatic infections and limited diagnostics. Existing seroprevalence studies in Malawi have primarily used convenience samples and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). We assessed SARSCoV-2 neutralisation in a longitudinal Malawian population-based cohort, assessing protective immunity post-infection and vaccination. Sera were obtained from rural (Karonga, n = 958) and urban (Lilongwe, n = 918) based participants at three-monthly intervals (February 2021-April 2022). Neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were measured using human immunodeficiency (HIV)based pseudotype assays in HIV-uninfected participants, and vesicular stomatitis virus-based assays in HIV-infected participants and an HIV-uninfected subset. Nucleocapsid ELISAs identified vaccinated participants also infected. SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation profiles increased in complexity over time from rising vaccination coverage and emerging variants. Neutralising antibody prevalence was higher in Lilongwe than Karonga (68.1% (CI 63.5–72.4) vs. 45.4% (CI 41.6–49.3), Survey 4). Hybrid immune and solely vaccinated participants exhibited higher titres than those solely infected. Children < 15 years had the lowest neutralising antibody titres among infected (not vaccinated) participants. People living with HIV had lower neutralising responses than those HIV-uninfected, particularly post vaccination. We therefore recommend surveillance of children and people living with HIV as low neutralisation responses increase reinfection risk. COVID-19 vaccination should be prioritised for HIV-infected individuals
Housing affordability and poverty in Europe: on the deteriorating position of market renters
Get PDFThere are growing concerns about housing affordability throughout Europe. Recent studies by Housing Europe and the OECD have suggested that we are witnessing a generalised deterioration in housing affordability, while other studies point to worsening housing affordability for specific groups, such as renters or low-income households. The aim of this paper is to explore trends in, and incidences and determinants of, housing affordability in a comparative European context over the period 2010 to 2018. To do this we analyse data from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey. We examine trends across different measures of housing affordability; examine its association with a variety of socio-economic characteristics and explore country-level differences in housing affordability problems. Our study finds that despite claims of worsening housing affordability, affordability measures show little sign of generalised deterioration over the period in question but that risks of affordability problems have become more concentrated on market renters during this period. At the country level, we find that gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and the at-risk-of-poverty rate are associated with housing affordability problems both between countries as well as within countries over time, while housing allowance coverage and rent regulation stringency are associated with affordability problems between countries
Relational work with distressing voices mirroring experiences of discrimination and marginalisation: three illustrative cases of an extended form of AVATAR therapy (AV-EXT)
Get PDFBackground:
For voice-hearers from minoritised communities, voices may reflect interpersonal and societal discrimination, including experiences of feeling silenced or ‘voiceless’. AVATAR therapy is a relational approach involving facilitated dialogues between a voice-hearer and a digital embodiment of their main distressing voice (the avatar). The aim is for the voice hearer to gain understanding, acceptance and empowerment.
Aims:
This paper illustrates an extended form of AVATAR therapy (AV-EXT), which seeks to understand a person‘s voices within their developmental and relational context.
Methods:
We present three therapy narratives in which voices mirrored experiences of discrimination and marginalisation based on aspects of the person‘s identity. Personalised avatars were used during dialogues to re-enact the lived experience of voice-hearing.
Results:
Avatar dialogues offered opportunities to rescript disempowering experiences, target associated meanings and connect individuals with the power of their own identity.
Conclusions:
Implications for the continued refinement of AVATAR therapy and other relational approaches are considered. This paper aims to support wider reflection on the impact of discrimination on distressing voices
Large-Scale Pseudo-Label Supervised 3D Segmentor with Image Priors
Get PDFLarge-scale point cloud segmentation plays a critical role in the remote sensing community. However, the challenge of high annotation costs has limited the release of datasets and the development of methods. Inspired by multi-modal fusion methods, we observe that semantic priors from images can significantly enhance point cloud understanding. To this end, we propose a Pseudo-Label-Supervised 3D Segmentor, named PLS3D, for large-scale point cloud semantic segmentation. PLS3D consists of two main components: Pseudo-Label Transfer via Projection Matching (PTPM) and a segmentation network supervised by pseudo-labels. We employ PTPM to generate pseudo-labels from remote sensing images and use these pseudo-labels to supervise point cloud semantic segmentation. Moreover, we design a residual attention module (RAM) to capture global distribution information, thereby refining the local geometry. We conduct the experiments on the N3C-California and 2Dinsight3D datasets. PLS3D achieves accuracies of 85.86% and 78.34%, respectively, which are comparable to point cloud annotation supervision methods. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our PLS3D for large-scale point cloud segmentation without the need for substantial annotation costs
Listening with the Fishes: Aquatic Audio Interfaces to Experience Acoustic Underwater Worlds
Get PDFRecent research has revealed the rich sensory perception of aquatic species, highlighting opportunities to enhance the acoustic experiences of fish in managed care environments where visitors and life support systems contribute to the underwater soundscape. While awareness of underwater noise pollution in natural ecosystems is increasing, its presence in aquarium environments and its potential effects on aquatic animals, remains underexplored. This paper presents a pilot installation, the first stage of a proposed three-part system aimed at fostering public awareness of underwater acoustics and fish communication. The full system envisions: (1) playback of prerecorded fish vocalizations and natural underwater soundscapes, (2) live audio from tanks housing vocal fish species to reveal inter-fish communication, (3) interactive tank with visitor generated sounds allowing visitors to experience the acoustic environment of captive fishes.
This paper reports on the deployment and evaluation of the third component, which was implemented without the involvement of any live fish. The installation featured a stylized, uninhabited tank containing a concealed hydrophone, which transmitted real-time audio from visitor actions—such as tapping, splashing, or activating bubbling filters—through headphones. This open-ended, embodied interaction encouraged users to explore how everyday behaviors translate acoustically underwater. Observations of 74 visitors revealed surprise, empathy, and increased awareness of noise pollution. Framed within Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI), this work offers a model for ethically grounded, public-facing systems that promote cross-species understanding
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