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Stellar engines and Dyson bubbles can be stable
Get PDFA range of speculative space ventures envisage the use of ultra-large structures for the collection and reflection of light. Given the length-scale of such structures they cannot be considered as point masses for the calculation of gravitational and radiation pressure forces. Using a simplified model it will be demonstrated that ultra-large reflectors in static equilibrium levitating above a central star (so-called stellar engines) are always unstable if the reflector comprises a uniform disk. However, if the reflector has a non-uniform mass distribution, specifically a ring supporting a reflector, a stellar engine can in principle be passively stable. Moreover, while it can be shown that static swarms of reflectors levitating above a central star (so-called Dyson bubbles) are unstable, in principle they can become passively self-stabilising if arranged about the star as a dense cloud. While such ventures are clearly speculative, understanding the orbital dynamics of ultra-large structures, and in particular the conditions for passive stability, can provide insights into the properties of potential technosignatures in search for extra-terrestrial intelligence studies
Robots with hearts: How in-store AI’s task types impact brand attitude and ethicality
Get PDFRecent advancements in robotics and conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) have expanded their capability to handle complex customer interactions. As businesses integrate robots for consumer encounters, they must decide how to allocate tasks between in-store AI and human employees. While previous research has examined consumer responses to AI, limited attention has been given to how different task distributions influence consumer attitudes. Through four experimental studies, we demonstrate that assigning empathetic (vs. mechanical) tasks to in-store AI while relegating mechanical (vs. empathetic) tasks to human service employees leads to diminished brand attitudes and negative perceptions of brand ethicality. Furthermore, the impact of AI task type on brand attitude is amplified for small brands, indicating a moderating role of brand size. Our findings highlight an intricate ethical dilemma: despite AI’s growing capabilities to automate socioemotional tasks, this can be perceived as ethically problematic compared to automating chores that frees human labor
Being proper for legislating
No full textThis article offers an initial view on constructing an inner morality of legislating. Inspired by the framing of Lon Fuller’s theory of law, this article seeks ‘a morality that makes legislating possible’. This article builds on Fuller’s framing to identify normative directives in legislating. It aims to provide insight on how to legislate properly by aligning with contextual demands. The points normatively guide towards good practice. Each is articulated and exemplified with recent legislative history to illustrate the issue and its impact. This inner morality brings attention to five points that condition proper legislating: being cognizant of form, being attuned to questions of time, ensuring parliaments have adequate independence, making sure the legislation being produced is not precluded from its potential, and exhibiting self-scrutiny. This list is meant to be open and creates a checklist of concerns that legislators should consider to craft legislation in the best possible form
Urban retrofit: commercial-to-residential conversion as a strategy for climate resilient city building
No full textNo abstract available
The place for form in Wollheim’s lectures on formalism and pictorial organization
No full textAt the time of his death, Richard Wollheim was writing a short book on Formalism and Pictorial Organization. Much of it, but by no means all of it, had been published before (it has come out posthumously in its entirety in late 2025). Here I do two things. First, I have provided a rather detailed exegesis concentrating on the parts of the book of most importance; the subject is relatively obscure in comparison with his well-known views of representation and expression, yet the interest of it grows markedly as one sees the view in greater detail. Second, Wollheim's criticisms of the Formalism of Fry (and implicitly Bell) can seem too severe; I have proposed a means of truce between Formalism and Wollheim's account, namely one that proceeds via another doctrine of Wollheim's, namely his theory of pictorial style
Fine-scale genetic structure and genetic diversity in the Chinese crocodile lizard
Get PDFPopulation fragmentation and restricted dispersal in endangered species can sharply reduce genetic diversity and adaptive potential, making genetic monitoring vital for conservation. However, whether neutral genetic markers alone can adequately assess adaptive potential remains debated. We examined the fine-scale genetic structure and diversity of the endangered Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) in three closely located streams: DaChai (DC), YuSan (YS), and ChiShui (CS). Despite their proximity, we found clear genetic differentiation, with DC especially distinct from the CS-YS group. Both subpopulations showed reduced genome-wide diversity and signs of inbreeding. Interestingly, the MHC gene region showed a different pattern. DC individuals had higher MHC diversity, while CS-YS showed signatures of recent selection. These results suggest different evolutionary pressures at immune-related loci in the two subpopulations and highlight the importance of integrating both neutral and functional genetic markers in conservation, as neutral markers alone may overlook key adaptive capacities
PAR2 deletion in the osteoblast lineage affords long-term cartilage protection in experimental osteoarthritis
Get PDFObjective:
Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) plays a pivotal role in the early stages of surgery-induced murine osteoarthritis (OA). However, it remains unclear whether modulation of PAR2 offers sustained, long-term protection against OA progression and which cellular compartments drive pathological changes.
Methods:
Utilising the destabilization of the medial meniscus model of OA, in vivo and in vitro characterisation of OA pathology was undertaken in global, chondrocyte- or osteoblast-specific PAR2 knockout male mice up to 12 months after OA induction, to reflect end stage OA.
Results:
Our findings revealed that wild-type mice exhibited a gradual increase in cartilage damage and loss over time, consistent with progressive OA pathology. In contrast, PAR2 knockout mice showed significantly reduced cartilage pathology (MD 4.35, 95%CI 2.55 to 6.16), indicating a protective effect of PAR2 deletion was maintained with time. Notably, the absence of PAR2 specifically in osteoblasts (MD 2.6, 95%CI 0.5 to 4.6), but not in chondrocytes (MD 0.61, 95%CI -1.4 to 2.6), resulted in decreased cartilage damage. This suggests that PAR2 expression in osteoblasts plays a critical role in driving joint deterioration during the later stages of OA. Further interrogation of the osteoblast compartment revealed that PAR2 has a divergent role during osteoblast development and maturation compared to its function in differentiated cells.
Conclusion:
This suggests that PAR2 expression in the bone compartment promotes joint deterioration in later stages of OA, highlighting the importance of bone turnover as a mechanism which influences joint degradation, and the complexity of PAR2-mediated effects, with age-dependent and cell-specific roles
Understanding the origins and factors of burnout in physical medicine and rehabilitation: grounded theory analysis
Get PDFBackground:
Physician burnout is highly prevalent in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), but its origins and drivers remain poorly understood.
Objective:
This study aims to explore the factors contributing to burnout among Canadian physiatrists.
Methods:
Using Charmaz’s Constructed Grounded Theory within a qualitative interpretivist paradigm, we interviewed 30 Canadian physiatrists about their experiences with burnout. Analysis was informed by Cooley’s looking-glass self theory.
Results:
Burnout in PM&R in Canada stems from a medical culture prioritizing academic excellence over compassionate care. Canadian physiatrists report shame and self-criticism when unable to meet these high standards. Retrospective accounts from Canadian physiatrists suggest that burnout peaks during residency, where autonomy is low and demands are high. Participants also described feeling unprepared to handle patients’ emotional needs and experiencing moral distress when necessary care cannot be delivered due to systemic barriers. Health care bureaucracy further compounds burnout.
Conclusions:
Addressing burnout in PM&R in Canada requires upstream systemic and contemporary cultural change
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