70015 research outputs found
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Atomistic simulations of thermal effects on space materials for lunar settlement
Get PDFThe pursuit of sustainable lunar habitats marks a transformative milestone in space exploration, with NASA's Artemis campaign propelling us into a new era dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and supporting extended astronaut missions on the Moon. The lunar surface poses extreme environmental challenges, including temperature fluctuations from 100 K to 400 K and continual exposure to high-energy particles. Developing materials resilient enough to withstand these conditions is crucial for both immediate exploration and longer-term lunar settlement. This study uses molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to evaluate the thermal stability and structural resilience of candidate materials under conditions that mimic lunar thermal cycling. Specifically, it examines the performance of silica (SiO)-a major component of lunar regolith and a key material for glassmaking-and polyethylene, a polymer of interest for lunar construction applications. Simulations, conducted using the Meso-Bio-Nano (MBN) Explorer software, focused on temperature variations from 100 K to 400 K, isolating thermal effects to assess structural integrity without the irradiation influences. We find that crystalline SiO exhibits remarkable thermal stability, attributed to its high melting point and ordered atomic structure, while amorphous SiO, modelled as glass, shows substantial resilience under extreme temperature shifts. Polyethylene, modelled via CHARMM-GUI and subjected to thermal cycling in MBN Explorer, also maintains structural integrity, highlighting its potential in polymer-based lunar applications. These insights into material performance under lunar-like conditions lay the groundwork for further experimental validation and refinement. Future research will expand on this work by integrating Irradiation Driven Molecular Dynamics (IDMD) into simulations, incorporating experimental data to match engineering requirements, and exploring additional candidate materials for lunar infrastructure-contributing vital knowledge to lunar materials science and supporting the next phase of lunar exploration and settlement
The Interplay Between Emotional Semantics and Prosody: Behavioural and Skin Conductance Responses
Get PDFListeners recover speakers’ emotional state by integrating information from emotional semantics and the prosody accompanying sentence production. However, little attention has been paid to how the processing of emotional semantics and prosody is mediated by emotional dimensions (arousal and valence) and whether this relationship is mirrored at the level of the autonomic nervous system. In the present study, we compared the effects of emotional semantics, emotional prosody and their combination on behavioural responses and skin conductance responses (SCRs). Native French listeners (N= 77) judged the arousal and valence of utterances conveying emotions through semantics and/or prosody, while their SCRs were recorded. Our behavioural findings showed that prosody was more effective than semantics in transmitting emotional information to the listeners. Regarding SCRs, we found a significant effect of angry prosody in female listeners only, independently of whether it was combined with emotional or neutral semantics. Our work provides evidence for the perceptual saliency of emotional prosody and suggests a sex-based differentiation in emotional speech processing at the autonomic level. Finally, our findings align with the idea of emotional speech processing as a multistage process involving various processing levels, some of which may be driven by the autonomic nervous system and mediated by specific factors such as the emotional dimensions of stimuli and the sex of listeners
Mixed-Methods Study of First-Year Physics Students: Soft Barriers to Coding
Get PDFDigital proficiency, including coding, is increasingly essential in physics education. However, disparities in coding skills among students are influenced by demographic factors and prior educational exposure. This study examines barriers to pre-university coding exposure for first-year physics students across five UK institutions, proposing a fourth level of the digital divide that emphasizes technical and production knowledge in coding. A survey of 199 first-year physics students reveals significant gender and ethnicity differences in coding experience. Males were more than twice as likely to have prior coding experience than females. Students with no prior coding experience viewed it as more challenging, requiring advanced math and powerful computing resources. Despite these challenges, both groups strongly disagreed that gender affects coding ability. Qualitative data pointed to technical difficulties, a lack of role models, and insufficient pre-university exposure as major obstacles. Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) students reported less teacher encouragement and faced structural barriers similar to those found in literature. The study identifies a fourth level of the digital divide in coding knowledge, stressing the need for targeted interventions to enhance diversity and inclusivity in physics coding education. Recommendations include improving pre-university coding exposure, using gender-sensitive teaching methods, providing consistent encouragement to students, and deeply integrating coding into physics curricula. These steps are vital for preparing students for the digital demands of their academic and professional futures, ensuring equitable access to essential digital competencies
Time with houseplants: A sociological analysis of temporalities, affective entanglements and practices of care
Get PDFThis article contributes to a sociology of time and rhythm as well as a sociology of human–plant relations. It argues that sociology should take an interest in houseplants because studying human-plant relations in the domestic sphere offers novel possibilities for exploring wider sociological themes such as multispecies interactions, intimacy and identity as well as time and everyday life. The article analyses houseplant care practices and their significance for (re)shaping everyday rhythms and routines during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we discuss plant care as re-making time in lockdown during which new rhythms emerge and plants themselves become temporal devices which structure everyday life. Second, we discuss how affective human–houseplant bonds resulting from routine care-practices lead to a new feeling for time that materialised as an intensification of the present. In the final part, we position our empirical data within the broader literature on the transformative potential of everyday life. This leads us to explore plant care as the making of new habits and routines that can reshape our understanding of the present and future. Overall, this article shows how the practices of domestic plant care in lockdown including recognition of the temporalities and rhythms of the plants themselves reshaped the experience of time of our respondents
Is there a reproducibility crisis? on the need for evidence-based approaches
Get PDFThe ‘Sixth Report—Reproducibility and Research Integrity’ (UK House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee 2023. ‘Sixth Report—Reproducibility and Research Integrity’) (‘The Report’) recommends measures designed to tackle an alleged ‘reproducibility crisis’ in scientific research. Our systematic analysis of the content of this report revealed that its findings and recommendations are consistent with the scientific literature, including the acknowledgement that conclusive evidence demonstrating the existence of a ‘reproducibility crisis’ is lacking. Though conceding that there is currently no way to determine the size of the crisis or whether it even exists, The Report nevertheless proposes actions to tackle the alleged crisis. However, without a quantitative understanding, the efficacy of the proposed measures cannot be verified. Hence, the current approach towards the alleged reproducibility crisis, here exemplified by The Report, does not adhere to the standards that would normally applied to the scientific method. An evidence-based approach requires the establishment of a quantitative understanding of whether data variability in the research literature exceeds technically achievable levels of reproducibility. If it does, the resulting understanding will enable the design of actions, whose success can be monitored. Our findings emphasise that the research environment requires the same level of rigour and scrutiny as the scientific experiments themselves
Regulating peer-to-peer (P2P) lending: a comparative study of the UK and China
No full textP2P lending is a method of debt financing that connects individuals and/or SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) for direct lending and borrowing through an online platform. As an alternative financial method, its significant growth enhances financial inclusion by lowering the threshold for accessing lending services. However, P2P lending users, as consumers, bear excessive risks associated with this tripartite trust-building lending service, necessitating tailored regulation to ensure sufficient protection for them.
This thesis examines the narrative of both unsecured and secured P2P lending from the perspective of consumer protection, identifying that P2P lenders are vulnerable and justifying the need for an interventionist regulatory approach to protect them. To understand P2P lending in the market and the regulation, and then to explore a tailored regulatory paradigm for protecting P2P consumers, this thesis compares two of the most important P2P lending markets, China and the UK. Drawing lessons from China's failure and the UK's regulatory experiences in this area, this thesis finds that P2P lending platforms are a unique form of digital lending intermediary, distinct not only from pure information intermediaries but also from traditional financial intermediaries. Therefore, the regulation cannot be simply mirrored to either.
This thesis argues that fault-based liability is insufficient to address regulatory difficulties and that holding platforms liable for certain wrongdoings on their platform is justified. It proposes a regulatory paradigm that includes enhancing the platform's liability by applying gatekeeper liability to P2P platforms, emphasising prudential regulation, and adopting a look-though approach to regulate emerging P2P loan securitisation
Reflective equilibrium, aesthetic appreciation, and aesthetic judgement
Get PDFI explore the relevance of reflective equilibrium to aesthetic experience, judgement, and appreciation, framing this project in both descriptive and normative terms. I begin with an exposition of reflective equilibrium, construed as a theory of epistemic justification, and of aesthetic appreciation, characterised as an activity with an epistemic goal—namely, achieving an optimal understanding of an artwork or aesthetic object. I stress the broad purview of reflective equilibrium, as well as Rawls’ arguments on the importance of aesthetic activity in human experience, and thus its place in a theory of justice. These preliminary considerations set up a more detailed exploration of reflective equilibrium in action in the aesthetic domain. I develop the argument with reference to a range of cases, from mainstream filmmaking to twelve-tone composition, considering the place of reflective equilibrium in aesthetic appreciation in both its individual and collective guises, as well as its “wide” and “narrow” forms. I demonstrate how the application of reflective equilibrium in the context of the critical appreciation of art relates to a range of significant issues in aesthetics, via the examination of arguments from Sontag, Sibley, Walton, Carroll, and Gaut (among others). Finally I assess various objections to, and extensions of, the main argument, including the objection that aesthetic appreciation does not aim at understanding, and the proposal that the embodied, emotional dimension of aesthetic experience, which must be accommodated by reflective equilibrium in the context of aesthetics, may shed light on its nature and operation in other domains
Organisational Learning From Cyber Security Incidents
No full textAs cyber security threats increase in frequency and sophistication, organisations must find more effective ways to learn from incidents in order to strengthen their defences and improve resilience. While industry guidance recommends post-incident reviews, recent research on this topic is limited, and much of the earlier work has focused narrowly on analysing causes rather than examining the entire learning process-from identifying which incidents to learn from to ensuring that lessons are implemented to improve security practices.
This thesis investigates how organisations currently approach learning from cyber security incidents and identifies key challenges in this process. Applying organisational learning theory and neo-institutional theory, the research highlights both internal and external pressures that shape learning practices. A pragmatic, mixed methods approach was employed to identify real-world challenges and offer practical recommendations to cyber security practitioners.
The study includes a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method, semi-structured interviews with 34 senior cyber security practitioners from large organisations operating in the UK, and thematic analysis. It synthesises current practices across disciplines and highlights common barriers, such as time pressures and cultural resistance, that impede effective learning. Practical recommendations were developed and then empirically validated through a two-round Delphi study involving over 20 expert practitioners, strengthening their credibility and applicability. This resulted in six endorsed recommendations to enhance organisational learning from incidents.
The overall findings indicate that, while all organisations studied conduct post-incident reviews, they have not consciously designed their learning practices. This supports the view from neo-institutional theory that organisational practices are often shaped by isomorphic pressures rather than deliberate efforts to ensure their effectiveness. Furthermore, despite recognising the importance of learning from incidents, organisations often focus on immediate technical issues, neglecting to explore underlying causes and systemic vulnerabilities. This aligns with organisational learning theory, where defensiveness can hinder effective learning. The empirically validated and practitioner-endorsed recommendations in this thesis provide strategies for overcoming these challenges.
This research contributes to cyber security practice by offering recommendations for organisations to improve their learning from incidents and build a more resilient cyber security posture. Theoretically, it extends the application of organisational learning and neo-institutional theories to a domain where these frameworks have been underutilised. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of qualitative approaches-such as in-depth interviews and the Delphi method-in capturing practitioner perspectives. The thesis concludes with suggestions for future research inspired by this work
Blowing Hot and Cold: The Plumes of Io and Enceladus
No full textPenelope J Wozniakiewicz, Mark J Burchell and Andrew J Coates report on the Dec 2024 Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Specialist Discussion Meeting devoted to the topic of sampling the naturally occurring plumes at Io and Enceladus. This 5 page article summarises the contributions of the various speakers
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