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Smart and smarter: improving on a classic egg shape model
Get PDFSmart’s model (SM) describing the geometry of avian eggs is, uniquely, based on physiological characteristics of eggs formation in oviduct walls transforming a sphere to an ellipsoid, to an ovoid. The purpose of this study was to revisit and perform a more in-depth examination of SM, providing a possible improvement in terms of reducing the number of initial parameters and compliance with geometric principles fundamental for bodies of revolution. SM requires measuring five egg parameters: length (L), maximum breadth (B), displacement of the central axis to the level of maximum breadth (w), and two radii of the egg at a point shifted by ¼L from the pointed (r) and blunt (R) ends, respectively. A practical test for the reproduction degree of three egg shape varieties using five-parameter model confirmed its maximum accuracy compared to all others. Modifications using four parameters (L, B, w and r or B0, which is egg diameter at ½L) were also relatively accurate, and only slightly inferior. Using three parameters (L, B and w) was clearly insufficient; however, one of our three-parameter models met the requirements of the “Main Axiom of the mathematical formula of the bird’s egg”. In our opinion, two of Smart’s postulates, the point of applying an oviduct force to provide the appropriate egg shape and the equality of L and the length of original ellipsoid, were used as fixed initial premises, which allowed to exclude many other possible options and to derive a mathematical model. Such an assumption arose according to the theoretical studies presented herein. Nevertheless, Smart’s formula derivation based on physiology of egg formation is a pioneering approach to the development of egg-shape models
Optimised reservoir computing for temporal signal classification in LiDAR
Get PDFReservoir Computing has emerged as a potent machine learning tool, distinguished by its efficacy in handling complex sequential signals with minimal training complexity. This thesis delves into the realm of applying RC to train and classify distance information gleaned from FMCW LiDAR. Validation is carried out through simulation and experiments. Subsequently, the parameters of reservoir computing are optimized using genetic algorithm.
FMCW LiDAR, an optical sensing technology, is adept at gauging target distances by capturing changes in the time-domain waveform of the IF signal. Noteworthy is the spectral broadening issue arising from nonlinearities in the light source's wavelength-scanning process, leading to degraded ranging resolution. This research addressed this challenge by adapting RC-based temporal signal classification, completely avoiding computing-heavy Fourier analysis in existing systems. The approach has been validated via successful simulation experiments. These experiments showcased RC's proficiency in processing time-domain waveform signals, even when grappling with similar low-frequency waveforms.
To validate RC's real-world applicability, experimental signals were subjected to various scenarios, including sequential, jumbled, and single waveform distance signals of different lengths. Remarkably, RC demonstrated impeccable performance with 100% accuracy, attesting to its robustness across diverse signal configurations.
To quantify the quality of results, the study introduced RMSE, a metric measuring the discrepancy between test and standard results. The close alignment between test results and standard RMSE (ranging between 0.03 and 0.04) underscored RC's strong performance.
Despite RC's prowess, the importance of parameter tuning cannot be overstated. The study employed a genetic algorithm to optimize six crucial parameters in the RC model: spectral radius, lambda (regularization rate), res_units (number of nodes in RC), activation function, scaling, and connectivity. The choice of RMSE as the objective function for optimization aimed to fine-tune RC for optimal performance.
After 80 generations of iterative optimization, the observed decrease in RMSE signifies the genetic algorithm's success in identifying parameter combinations that enhance RC's performance. However, it's noteworthy that the overall degree of RMSE decrease is moderate. This suggests that RC inherently possesses a degree of robustness, capable of delivering acceptable results without exhaustive parameter optimization.
In conclusion, the synergy of RC's robust performance, combined with thoughtful parameter optimization through a genetic algorithm, positions it as a reliable and adaptable tool for processing and classifying complex sequential signals in applications such as FMCW LiDAR
The journey of global Britain: British foreign policy adaptation in the context of Brexit.
No full textThe United Kingdom's departure from the European Union reignited long-standing debates about its international role, crystallised in the political vision of Global Britain. While frequently presented as a novel post-Brexit initiative, this thesis argues that Global Britain represents the rearticulation of deeper, post-1945 narratives about Britain's global role, adapted to the political and strategic conditions of the Brexit era. The research addresses the question: How has the idea of Global Britain influenced UK foreign policy in the context of Brexit? It identifies a gap in the literature on British foreign policy analysis by integrating a constructivist focus on ideas with a longitudinal examination of political discourse and institutional uptake.
Adopting a constructivist theoretical framework, the thesis conceptualises Global Britain as an ideational construct capable of shaping foreign policy by providing strategic narratives, framing decision-making, and embedding within institutions. The research design combines qualitative content analysis of government speeches, parliamentary debates, policy documents, and think tank reports with elite interviews involving policymakers, advisers, and intellectuals engaged in foreign policy debates. This mixed-methods approach enables the tracing of Global Britain across multiple sites of production and contestation, from its pre-referendum antecedents to its operationalisation and subsequent adaptation.
The analysis finds that under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, Global Britain primarily functioned as a rhetorical and strategic device rather than a coherent, actionable policy doctrine. It was employed to manage political uncertainty, legitimise Brexit, and signal continuity in global engagement, but its implementation was fragmented and often reactive. The concept's persistence nonetheless reflects its utility as a flexible repository of Britain's post-imperial ambitions, accommodating shifts in emphasis between soft power, trade diplomacy, strategic alliances, and commitments to security and defence.
This thesis contributes to the study of foreign policy by examining the tension between idealistic goals and policy pragmatics. By systematically reconstructing the genealogy, evolution, and operationalisation of Global Britain, the thesis advances constructivist foreign policy analysis by demonstrating how ideas operate simultaneously as normative frames, causal beliefs, and political instruments. It offers an empirically grounded account of post-Brexit foreign policy-making, highlighting the tension between discursive ambition and policy execution, and refines methodological approaches for tracing the life-cycle of foreign policy ideas across time and institutional contexts. In conclusion, the study suggests that the United Kingdom's global position will remain fluid, thereby enhancing understanding of its dynamic role in the international landscape
Headache-specific hyperexcitation sensitises and habituates on different time scales: An event related potential study of pattern-glare
Get PDFCortical hyperexcitability is a key pathophysiological feature in several neurological disorders, including migraine, epilepsy, tinnitus, and Alzheimer's disease. We examined the temporal characteristics of Event Related Potentials (ERPs) in a healthy population using the Pattern Glare Test, a diagnostic tool used to assess patients with sensitivity to cortical hyperexcitability. In pre-experiment questionnaires, participants reported their susceptibility to a range of symptoms. A factor analysis over these responses identified three variables, with the one we investigate in this paper loading strongly on headache symptoms, e.g. headache frequency. We investigated two timeframes: habituation over the course of the entire experiment and sensitization over the course of a sequence of stimulus presentations. We found evidence of hyperexcitability at electrodes over visual cortex, for the aggravating stimulus (grating of ∼3 cycles/deg). Participants higher on the headache factor exhibited a higher degree of habituation and sensitization, with evidence that the level of sensitization habituated through the course of the experiment. These findings suggest that the same experimental paradigm and analysis should be performed on a clinically diagnosed population
Veldenstein: A novel ; Sieving the Void: Forest, Fairy Tale, Forgetting (Critical essay)
No full textThis doctoral project interrogates the fragmentation of societal and family memory which bisects mid 20th century German history. It takes as its central themes those of inheritance and storytelling, and is an exercise in transforming the concerns of the artworks of Anselm Kiefer, rendering them as a twisting narrative of sentient forest, fairy tale, guilt and amnesia. The project consists of two parts: Veldenstein, a work of gothic historical fiction, and Sieving the Void: Forest, Fairy Tale, Forgetting, an accompanying critical essay. Both parts of the project seek to answer questions around the shifting roles played by ancestry, place and storytelling as instigators and repositories of trauma, and to demonstrate that the structure of biological inheritance can be imaginatively used to determine choices of form and content to address these. Veldenstein has an extensive cast, a mix of fictional and historical characters, including Hermann Göring and his younger brother, Albert. The novel shows the different trajectories of these and other major characters, with action set against a background of rising antisemitism in the years leading up to the First World War, and again during the post-Holocaust period of trial and retribution
Understanding the human fit of access during initial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study in English general practice
Get PDFObjectives: Access to general practice in England is a challenging issue of enduring importance. COVID-19 precipitated various abrupt changes, exposing and compounding existing problems. The access as human fit conceptualisation provides a nuanced understanding of access that extends beyond a limited focus on appointment numbers and speed. This qualitative study explored the pandemic’s impact on access to general practice and the experiences of patients and healthcare staff in England using access as human fit as an analytical framework.
Design: A community-based participatory approach underpinned by qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups, and observations.
Setting and participants: The following were conducted in Northwest England (December 2021—August 2022): interviews (10 participants) with patients, general practice staff and professionals; seven focus groups (42 participants) with patients from general practice patient groups and underserved groups; and twenty observation sessions of non-clinical access encounters (seven general practice and Primary Care Network premises; 45 hours total).
Analysis: A rapid qualitative analysis methodology facilitated an abductive thematic approach, applying the dimensions of access as human fit to the data.
Results: The access as human fit framework highlighted key areas where there is a lack of fit between patients and staff. Patients expressed that the array of access options and changes made it hard to know how to be a patient; some thought general practice should be ‘back to normal’ and the pandemic was an excuse to restrict access. Providers reported working harder than ever with insufficient resources.
Conclusions: The pandemic created greater distance between staff and patient realities of access. Access as a human fit facilitated in-depth exploration of patient and staff experiences, improving understanding and identifying key issues. Broader adoption and application of this framework, within policy and practice, could focus improvement efforts, optimise access fit and improve patient satisfaction and staff retention
Student Perspectives on Professionalism: Time to Reform Curriculum for Better Patient Experience
Get PDFProfessionalism is central to patient experience, however undergraduate medical education often emphasizes standardized frameworks over relational, context-sensitive learning. Students’ perspectives remain underrepresented in curriculum design despite shaping future care delivery. To synthesize undergraduate medical students’ views on professionalism education, identify barriers and enablers to learning, and highlight implications for curriculum reform and patient-centered care. A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies published between 2010 and 2023. Four databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center [ERIC]) were searched. Quality appraisal used the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool and thematic analysis was applied to integrate findings, emphasizing learner voices and links to patient experience. Fifty-four studies were included (38 qualitative, 16 quantitative/mixed methods). Students consistently emphasized the influence of role modeling by senior clinicians, reflective practice, patient narratives, and supportive learning environments. Barriers included inconsistent teaching, cultural dissonance between formal curricula and observed clinical behaviors, and lack of structured feedback. Learning was most impactful when professionalism teaching was embedded in real patient care, reinforced through observation, supervision, and reflection. Students perceive professionalism as relational practices, empathy, respect, integrity, and accountability that directly shape patient experience. Curricula should integrate structured role modeling, reflective exercises, patient narratives, and culturally responsive teaching. Centering student perspectives in curriculum design can better prepare graduates for context-sensitive, patient-centered practice
Functional morphology of the scaphoid in extant African apes, humans and fossil hominins
Get PDFObjectives
The morphology of the hominoid scaphoid has played a key role in functional and evolutionary hypotheses related to the emergence of hominin bipedalism and tool use. However, the scaphoid's complex morphology is challenging to comparatively analyze via traditional 2D linear measurements. This study quantifies scaphoid morphology utilizing 3D geometric morphometrics (3D GM) in African apes, humans and extinct hominins to provide a more holistic functional understanding of scaphoid morphology.
Materials and Methods
We use 3D GM, including anatomical and sliding semi-landmarks, to quantify scaphoid morphology in a comparative sample of African apes (Gorilla, Gorilla beringei, Pan paniscus and Pan troglodytes) (N = 54), extant and fossil Homo sapiens (N = 20) and nine fossil hominin scaphoids from Australopithecus sp., Australopithecus sediba, Homo naledi and Neandertals.
Results
Principal component analysis indicates that extant species can be distinguished by differences in scaphoid shape that are consistent with variation in hand use during locomotion and manipulation. The australopith scaphoids plot between the African ape and modern human distributions, whereas H. naledi falls between Gorilla and human distributions.
Discussion
Results confirm previous studies describing differences between extant African apes and modern human scaphoids that were interpreted as advantageous for knuckle-walking and forceful manipulation, respectively. However, we highlight greater variation between Pan and Gorilla than previously recognized. The fossil hominin scaphoids present differing mosaics of joint orientation and shape, creating a distinct overall morphology in each hominin species. This may reflect differing functional pressures acting upon hominin wrists resulting from disparate combinations of locomotor and manipulative behaviors
Genocide and the Ocean: Law, History and Genocidal Realities Beyond Borders and Beneath Waves
No full textThis collection explores the intricate legal, conceptual, and material relationship between genocide and the ocean. Traversing a wide range of topics, it brings into conversation numerous legal regimes that are too rarely considered in relation to one another–including, but not limited to, the international legal regime on genocide, international human rights and refugee law, the law of the sea, international cultural heritage law and environmental law, the law of self-determination, and the criminality of maritime violence.
Recognising that the relationship between genocide and the ocean exceeds what law alone can comprehensively capture through its own internal logic, contributors move beyond traditional doctrinal analysis to engage interdisciplinary perspectives. These include insights from criminology, geography/environmental science, moral/political philosophy, history, and international relations theory. Bringing together legal scholars and practitioners from across Europe, Latin America, Asia and the United States, this collection reflects both disciplinary and geographic diversity.
By bridging legal analysis with broader critical inquiry, this volume will be of interest to academics, researchers, and policymakers working in the areas of International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law, International Refugee Law, International Humanitarian Law, Legal History and the Law of the Sea
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