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The BRST quantisation of chiral BMS-like field theories
Get PDFThe BMS 3 Lie algebra belongs to a one-parameter family of Lie algebras obtained by centrally extending Abelian extensions of the Witt algebra by a tensor density representation. In this paper we call such Lie algebras g ̂ λ , with BMS 3 corresponding to the universal central extension of λ = −1. We construct the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) complex for g ̂ λ in two different ways: one in the language of semi-infinite cohomology and the other using the formalism of vertex operator algebras. We pay particular attention to the case of BMS 3 and discuss some natural field-theoretical realizations. We prove two theorems about the BRST cohomology of g ̂ λ . The first is the construction of a quasi-isomorphic embedding of the chiral sector of any Virasoro string as a g ̂ λ string. The second is the isomorphism (as Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras) of any g ̂ λ BRST cohomology and the chiral ring of a topologically twisted N = 2 superconformal field theory.</p
Spectral Mechanisms of Solid/Liquid Interfacial Heat Transfer in the Presence of a Meniscus
Get PDFIn this study, we employ molecular simulations to investigate the enhancement in thermal conductance at the solid/liquid interface in the presence of a meniscus reported previously (Klochko et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023, 25(4), 3298–3308). We vary the solid/liquid interaction strength at Lennard-Jones interfaces for both confined liquid and meniscus systems, finding that the presence of a meniscus yields an enhancement in the solid/liquid interfacial thermal conductance across all wettabilities. However, the magnitude of the enhancement is found to depend on the surface wettability, initially rising monotonously for low to moderate wettabilities, followed by a sharp rise between moderate and high wettabilities. The spectral decomposition of heat flux formalism was applied to understand the nature of this phenomenon further. By computing the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the heat fluxes within both the interfacial solid and liquid, we show that the initial monotonous rise in conductance enhancement predominantly stems from a rise in the coupling of out-of-plane vibrations within both the solid and the liquid. In contrast, the subsequent sharp rise at more wetting interfaces is linked to sharp increases in the utilization of the in-plane modes of the solid and liquid. These observations result from the interplay between the solid/liquid adhesive forces and the liquid/vapor interfacial tension. Our results can aid engineers in optimizing thermal transport at realistic interfaces, which is critical to designing effective cooling solutions for electronics, among other applications
Daily manifestations of Children's avid eating behaviour and associations with temperament, parental feeding practices and wellbeing
Get PDFRecent evidence has identified four distinct eating profiles in 3-5-year-old children in the UK: avid, happy, typical, and avoidant. Among these profiles, children with avid eating behaviour exhibit high responsiveness to food cues, emotional eating, fast eating speed, and low responsiveness to fullness, posing risks for overeating and higher adiposity. Despite the implications, there is limited research on how avid eating manifests and impacts parents' behaviour and wellbeing. This study aimed to report the frequency of children's avid eating behaviour and explore its associations with child demographics, child temperament, home environment, parental feeding practices, and parental wellbeing. This study collected data via Ecological Momentary Assessment from 109 parents of a 3–5-year-old child identified as having an avid eating profile through a latent profile analysis of parents' reports of their children's eating behaviour. Using baseline and momentary data, the novel findings revealed that children with avid eating frequently requested food, especially snacks, with higher occurrences during weekends. Older children and boys showed higher probabilities of avid eating. High surgency in children correlated with more frequent food requests, while greater effortful control in children related to fewer eating occasions. Parents of children with higher probability of avid eating reported higher stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as frequent food requests from their child. Additionally, food insecurity was linked to increased food requests, suggesting a complex interplay between food availability and eating behaviour. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to support parents in managing children's avid eating behaviour and improving overall family wellbeing.</p
Understanding the development of social interaction perception
Get PDFIn a recent study, Im, Shirahatti, and Isik used voxel-wise encoding modelling to show that cues to social interaction predict brain activity in children aged 3–12 years. Their findings have implications for understanding early social development, and their approach holds promise for investigating other domains of cognitive development
Characterisation of the Avascular Mesenchyme during Digit Outgrowth
Get PDFThe avascular mesenchyme at the tip of the developing digit contributes to digit outgrowth and patterning, however, it has been poorly characterised. Using newly developed fate mapping approaches, tissue manipulation and single-cell mRNA sequencing data, we explore the transcriptional nature and developmental potential of this tissue. We find that the avascular mesenchyme is essential to normal segmental patterning of the digit and has a distinct transcriptional identity. In addition, we uncover an unexpected relationship between the unspecified tissue of the avascular mesenchyme and the committed phalanx forming region, which controls patterning, but not outgrowth of the digit. This multifaceted approach provides insights into the mechanics and genetic pathways that regulate digit outgrowth and patterning.</p
The state of garment repair and alteration services in the UK:Typology, evaluation of online information and thematic analysis of customer reviews
Get PDFThe fashion industry is a significant contributor to global environmental degradation, driving up carbon emissions and resource consumption. Many fashion consumers feel guilt associated with contributing to this damage. While garment repair and alteration services (GRAS) offer a pathway to mitigate these impacts by extending the lifespan of clothing, consumer engagement with these services remains low. This study investigates the state of commercial GRAS in the UK, identifying barriers to consumer participation and their potential role in fostering sustainable behaviour. Through a comprehensive typology of UK GRAS providers and a thematic analysis of customer reviews, we reveal obstacles such as limited repair skills, unclear service information, and gaps in consumer trust. Our findings suggest that bridging these informational and service quality gaps could promote greater use of GRAS, aligning the fashion industry more closely with circular economy principles. In addition, we highlight the potential for GRAS to enhance well-being by developing consumer's emotional attachment to clothing and positive feelings. These findings underscore the dual benefits of GRAS for environmental sustainability and consumer well-being, suggesting broader applications for GRAS in shaping more sustainable consumption patterns. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's community and social impact statement.</p
Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age
Get PDFWith biodiversity loss escalating globally, a step change is needed in our capacity to accurately monitor species populations across ecosystems. Robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) offer technological solutions that may substantially advance terrestrial biodiversity monitoring, but this potential is yet to be considered systematically. We used a modified Delphi technique to synthesize knowledge from 98 biodiversity experts and 31 RAS experts, who identified the major methodological barriers that currently hinder monitoring, and explored the opportunities and challenges that RAS offer in overcoming these barriers. Biodiversity experts identified four barrier categories: site access, species and individual identification, data handling and storage, and power and network availability. Robotics experts highlighted technologies that could overcome these barriers and identified the developments needed to facilitate RAS-based autonomous biodiversity monitoring. Some existing RAS could be optimized relatively easily to survey species but would require development to be suitable for monitoring of more ‘difficult’ taxa and robust enough to work under uncontrolled conditions within ecosystems. Other nascent technologies (for instance, new sensors and biodegradable robots) need accelerated research. Overall, it was felt that RAS could lead to major progress in monitoring of terrestrial biodiversity by supplementing rather than supplanting existing methods. Transdisciplinarity needs to be fostered between biodiversity and RAS experts so that future ideas and technologies can be codeveloped effectively.</p
“We know what to do for you, but we can’t do it”:How actionability is coordinated and contested in genomics research
No full textOver the last few decades, an influential movement has emerged in genomics research advocating for the return of “actionable” findings to research participants. This movement argues that actionable findings constitute clinically significant information that could be used to inform preventive care, and that research projects may therefore have a responsibility to disclose such findings. Using a document analysis of institutional and expert guidance, this article traces how the notion of actionability became a predominant justification for the disclosure of research findings, and explores how this guidance has failed to account for local and structural coordination of actionability. The paper presents two case studies of US-based research projects, Geisinger Health System’s MyCode Initiative and the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, to characterize how the disclosure of actionable findings has been implemented in research programs, and to reveal how a decontextualized approach to actionability threatens to undermine the promised clinical utility of genomic findings and exacerbate inequalities in healthcare access. As research projects increasingly adopt clinical actionability as a stand-in for clinical utility, exchanging evidence of improved health outcomes with opportunities for preventive interventions, coordination of the responsibilities and resources for realizing actionability is essential. This analysis indicates the possible consequences of contested actionability, and points to the need to further investigation of how actionable findings are implemented in practice
WNK1 mediates M-CSF-induced macropinocytosis to enforce macrophage lineage fidelity
No full textTissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) are critical for mammalian organismal development and homeostasis. Here, we report that with-no-lysine 1 (WNK1) controls myeloid progenitor fate, with Csf1riCre-mediated Wnk1 deletion in mice (WNK1-deficient mice) resulting in loss of TRMs and perinatal mortality. Mechanistically, macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) induced continuous macropinocytosis in mouse and human myeloid progenitors and monocytes, which was lost with WNK1-deficiency or WNK kinase activity inhibition and boosted with WNK1 overexpression. Absence of WNK1, inhibition of WNK kinase activity, or disruption of M-CSF stimulated macropinocytosis blocked mouse and human progenitor and monocyte differentiation into macrophages, instead skewing progenitor differentiation into neutrophils. Treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) rescued macropinocytosis but not macrophage differentiation of WNK-inhibited progenitors, suggesting that M-CSF-stimulated macropinocytosis-induced activation of WNK1 is required for macrophage differentiation. Finally, M-CSF-stimulated macropinocytosis triggered WNK1 nuclear translocation and concomitant increased protein expression of interferon regulatory factor (IRF)8, whereas inhibition of macropinocytosis or WNK kinase activity suppressed IRF8 expression. Thus, we discovered a role of macropinocytosis, via WNK1 activity, for myeloid cell lineage commitment during development and homeostasis
Firm-level economic policy uncertainty and M&A:Evidence from MD&A textual analysis
No full textThis paper examines how firm-level economic policy uncertainty (FEPU) affects the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) decisions of listed firms. Using a sample of 33,078 firm-year observations from 4356 Chinese listed firms between 2007 and 2022, we find a consistent negative relationship between FEPU and M&A activity. Our analysis shows that this negative effect is more pronounced in firms with higher irreversibility of investment, supporting the real options theory. It is also more significant in firms with higher financial constraints and in non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs), consistent with the risk premia theory. Additionally, the negative effect is stronger in firms with weaker governance structures, aligning with the agency theory. Our analyses also demonstrate that industry regulations and managerial characteristics significantly moderate the impact of FEPU on M&A motivation. Specifically, firms in less regulated industries experience a more pronounced negative effect of FEPU on M&A. Moreover, the risk aversion of older CEOs and female managers further amplifies the adverse impact of FEPU on M&A activities. Overall, by emphasizing the distinctiveness of FEPU compared to macro-level economic policy uncertainty measures, our study provides novel firm-level evidence on how economic policy uncertainty affects M&A activities
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