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Mapping the Urbanisation of Medieval England
No full textRegional and chronological patterning in the establishment of towns across Medieval England is investigated in relation to the rural settlement provinces defined by Wrathmell and Roberts. It is proposed that this approach is advantageous to considering urbanization relative to arbitrary county divisions, as settlement provinces allow analysis of the relationship between town and country and between urbanization and physical geography. Following a review of historical and archaeological approaches to understanding urbanization, an analysis of urbanization in each province is presented, considering the chronology of urbanization, the relationship between boroughs, market towns and non-urban markets and variability in strategies employed by landowners to develop commercial places on their manors and estates. We identify marked regional patterning in the pace, intensity and character of urbanization at multiple scales and conclude that it is as a form of nucleation that urbanization can be best understood as a catalyst of commercialization in the Middle Ages.</p
Bridging Generations: Managing Cognitive Conflicts During Technology Adoption in Multigenerational Family Firms
No full textTechnology adoption in family firms (FFs) often brings unique challenges, particularly in multigenerational contexts where generational differences shape decision-making and strategic priorities. This study examines the dynamics of cognitive conflicts arising during technology adoption in FFs, focusing on their sources, amplification mechanisms, resolution strategies, and long-term reconciliation processes. Using a qualitative multiple-case study of seven agricultural FFs in Southern Italy, the findings highlight generational differences in risk perception, resource allocation, and managerial vision as crucial antecedents of conflict. Conflict resolution strategies, such as translational roles played by younger family members, the formation of internal alliances, and decision postponement during heightened tensions, are identified as critical enablers of successful technology adoption. This research advances understanding of the interplay between generational dynamics and innovation processes in FFs, contributing to family business and conflict management literature. Practical implications emphasize the importance of fostering intergenerational dialogue, leveraging knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and engaging external stakeholders to navigate the complexities of technology adoption effectively. The study concludes by calling for further research to explore these dynamics across different industries and cultural contexts to enhance the transferability of the findings.</p
Using Spacing and Color-Alternating Text to Assess the Influence of Word Length on the Transposed-Word Effect in Chinese Reading
No full textThese are datasets for 2 experiments that used a speeded grammaticality task to assess effects of providing explicit word boundary cues on the effects of the relative length of two adjacent transposed-words on the transposed-word effect in reading. These experiments were conducted in Chinese. Experiment 1 used interword spaces to provide explicit word boundary cues, comparing effects for naturally unspaced Chinese text and identical text that included interwork spaces. Experiment 2 used alternating green and red text to mark word boundaries. The summarised data sets provide accuracy scores and response times (in milliseconds) for correct responses. </p
Inequalities in road traffic noise exposure levels in greenspaces in Greater London
No full textExposure to road traffic noise in residential settings has been associated with detrimental effects on health including annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiometabolic outcomes, and mental health. Conversely, exposure to natural sounds improves cognitive performance and aids in stress recovery in humans. Environmental exposure studies have shown that the distribution of noise exposures is often not equitable across cities, but evidence related to noise in UK greenspaces remains limited. This study provides an analysis of noise variability and inequalities in noise levels for greenspaces in Greater London related to residential addresses. Noise levels from major and minor roads were modelled across 2,532 greenspaces for the daytime and evening period in accordance with the European Commission Common Framework for Noise Assessment (CNOSSOS-EU) methods from Environment Noise Directive 2002/49/EC and the inverse square law of sound attenuation. Using modelled road traffic noise estimates, we found that 28 % of greenspaces exceeded equivalent World Health Organization noise guideline levels during daytime and evening periods. Greenspaces in Central London were more likely to have noise levels that exceeded the WHO noise guidelines. Distance-based proximity analyses showed that for populations in Central London, greenspace areas nearest to residential addresses were more likely to feature high noise levels. As distance travelled from residential locations increased, the distribution of high greenspace noise levels became more dispersed. However, no inequality gradient was observed between different deprivation groups, except for the least deprived communities’, who experienced noise levels that were 2 dB lower within greenspace areas within a 5 km radius.</p
Impact on fetal medicine services of widespread parvovirus B19 outbreaks during 2024.
No full textNo description supplied</p
GRB 241105A: A test case for GRB classification and rapid r-process nucleosynthesis channels
No full textGamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a powerful window to probe the progenitor systems responsible for the formation of heavy elements through the rapid neutron capture (r-) process, thanks to their exceptional luminosity, which allows them to be observed across vast cosmic distances. GRB 241105A, observed at a redshift of, features a short initial spike (1.5 s) and a prolonged weak emission lasting about 64 s, positioning it as a candidate for a compact binary merger and potentially marking it as the most distant merger-driven GRB observed to date. However, the emerging ambiguity in GRB classification necessitates further investigation into the burst's true nature. Prompt emission analyses, such as hardness ratio, spectral lag, and minimum variability time-scales, yield mixed classifications, while machine-learning-based clustering places GRB 241105A near both long-duration mergers and collapsar GRBs. We conducted observations using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for a potential supernova counterpart. Although no conclusive evidence was found for a supernova, the host galaxy's properties derived from the JWST observations suggest active star formation with low metallicity, and a sub-kpc offset of the afterglow from the host, which appears broadly consistent with a collapsar origin. Nevertheless, a compact binary merger origin cannot be ruled out, as the burst may plausibly arise from a fast progenitor channel. This would have important implications for heavy element enrichment in the early Universe.</p
At the Heart of Care: An Exploration of Family and Professional Perspectives in Paediatric Cardiology
No full textPaediatric cardiology presents a complex and emotionally charged landscape for families and professionals alike. For those affected by congenital heart diseases such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), the journey often begins before birth, involving difficult decisions and a lifelong trajectory of care. Families frequently face ongoing psychological and practical challenges, while healthcare professionals must navigate how best to support them. This thesis explores experiences from both perspectives: families of children with HLHS and healthcare professionals working in paediatric cardiology. It aims to understand the psychosocial impacts involved and assess the feasibility of integrating psychologically informed approaches (PIA) to support more holistic care.Section one systematically reviews the literature investigating the family experiences of supporting a child with HLHS. Twelve studies were selected and thematically synthesised, leading to the generation of four overarching themes exploring key psychosocial elements of navigating this condition: toll on the parents, worries about the child, observed differences to parenting, and experiences of support. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory could provide context to explaining family distress and emphasise the difficulties experienced and importance of effective support.Section two aims to investigate healthcare professionals’ perspective on the feasibility of integrating psychologically informed approaches (PIA) into paediatric cardiology, given the several psychosocial challenges involved with caring for and treating this clinical population. Four themes were generated using a template analysis: perceptions of PIA, systemic and organisational considerations, navigating interprofessional dynamics and perceived responsibilities, and skills and behaviour development. Successful integration of this framework may come from context-sensitive strategies that support individuals and organisations to address current barriers to improve holistic care of children and young people with a cardiac condition.</p
Analysis of a human-mediated microbioinvasion: The global spread of the benthic foraminifer Trochammina hadai Uchio, 1962
No full textA non-indigenous species (NIS) of benthic foraminifera was first identified in a core collected in 1993 in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, and subsequently identified as Trochammina hadai Uchio, 1962. Archived samples and literature reviews were used to determine that the species, which is native to Asia, arrived in San Francisco Bay between the early 1960s and 1983. Through molecular analyses of specimens, archived samples and literature reviews from 1930-1983, and site surveys of harbors and estuaries along the western North American seaboard in 1994-2024, in total more than 2500 samples, we documented the presence of T. hadai at 73 locations in the USA and four in Canada. Trochammina hadai has also been recovered at nine sites in Sweden, two in France, three in Brazil, and two locations at one site in Australia. The rapid temporal and geographic spread of the NIS T. hadai in a non-native location is illustrated by a time series from 1930 to 2024 in San Francisco Bay. Between 1980 and 1986, the species' range expanded from low abundance (1.5 %) at a single site to cover nearly the entire South Bay with > 70 % abundance at some locations. By 1995 and continuing into 2010, the species expanded its range into the central and northern portions of San Francisco Bay, commonly with abundances of > 30 % and sometimes exceeding 70 %. This expansion may predate 1995, but a lack of samples makes it difficult to be more precise. Unfortunately, two Pb-210 and Cs-137-dated cores (BC01 and BC02) recovered from northern South Bay and Central Bay did not clarify this point, but additional cores may. Trochammina hadai is an infaunal opportunist that thrives in polluted locations. We surmise the species was introduced along the west coast of the USA in Puget Sound between 1902 and the 1920s, with cultivated oysters and oyster larvae and associated plant matter and residual sediment. This probably also happened in some areas of France, Sweden, and Brazil, where Japanese oysters were introduced in 1966, 1970, and 1975, respectively. After World War II, commercial shipping expanded dramatically and, with it, the release of ballast water and sediment in receiving ports, which introduced NIS worldwide. This primary vector of introduction occurred in large industrial harbors in several countries, sometimes followed by secondary introductions in small industrial centers and marinas by mud attached to the anchors and anchor chains of smaller boats.</p
girnd (desire)
No full textThis chapter analyses the use of the noun girnd (desire, yearning, lust) in relation to depictions of desire in saga literature. While modern frameworks usually separate out passions and desires from emotions, pre-modern accounts tend not to treat them as distinct phenomena, with many thinkers treating desire, in the sense of lust or strong passion, as a basic emotion. In the sagas, desire takes many forms, including not only romantic and sexual impulses but also Christian yearning for spiritual salvation. In either case, desire is conceptualised as strongly relational, as something that directs the individual towards other people and objects. The extent to which the term girnd is used varies depending on the desires discussed and their narrative contexts. In narratives about romantic affairs, it occurs rarely despite the subject matter; conversely, it appears prominently in sagas more concerned with the moral and religious aspects of desire. The chapter discusses some of the terms used to refer to desires in Old Norse texts, before analysing girnd in relation to two prominent kinds of strong desire: sexual and romantic desire, also referred to as lust, and religious and devotional desire. In identifying the common narrative patterns associated with each kind of desire, the chapter aims to assess which kinds of desires are more strongly coded as emotional states in saga literature.</p
Geoeffectivity of Solar Wind Heavy Ions
No full textThe influence of solar wind properties, such as the southward interplanetary magnetic field, on geomagnetic activity has been well established. However, the role of heavy ions (i.e., particles heavier than protons) in the solar wind on geomagnetic storms is not fully understood. Notably, scientific models and simulations of the Earth's magnetosphere predominately assume a pure-proton solar wind, despite heavy ions constituting over 15% of the solar wind mass density on average during solar maximum periods. By utilizing data from Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer onboard the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), we investigate the impact of heavy ion dynamic pressure during Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) events on Earth's magnetosphere. Including heavy ion dynamic pressure into magnetopause calculations leads to an average reduction of 3.25% in Earth's magnetopause standoff distance during the ICME sheath interval, which could be larger during specific events. Additionally, we observe that heavy ions yield stronger correlations between maximum ion dynamic pressures during ICMEs and the corresponding minimum Dst and maximum auroral electrojet (AE) indices. The correlations with minimum Dst and maximum AE are stronger when considering minor ions (i.e., heavy ions excluding helium), with correlation coefficients of (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), respectively, compared to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for protons alone. These findings underscore the importance of including heavy ions in solar wind models to improve our understanding of geomagnetic activity and advance space weather prediction capabilities.</p