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A HyperFlash and ÉCLAT view of the local environment and energetics of the repeating FRB 20240619D
Get PDFTime-variable propagation effects provide a window into the local plasma environments of repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources. Here we report high-cadence observations of FRB 20240619D, as part of the HyperFlash and ÉCLAT programmes. We observed for 500 h and detected 217 bursts, including 10 bursts with high fluence ( Jy ms) and implied energy. We track burst-to-burst variations in dispersion measure (DM) and rotation measure (RM), from which we constrain the parallel magnetic field strength in the source’s local environment: mG. Apparent DM variations between sub-bursts in a single bright event are interpreted as coming from plasma lensing or variable emission height. We also identify two distinct scintillation screens along the line of sight, one associated with the Milky Way and the other likely located in the FRB’s host galaxy or local environment. Together, these (time-variable) propagation effects reveal that FRB 20240619D is embedded in a dense, turbulent and highly magnetised plasma. The source’s environment is more dynamic than that measured for many other (repeating) FRB sources, but less extreme compared to several repeaters that are associated with a compact, persistent radio source. FRB 20240619D’s cumulative burst fluence distribution shows a power-law break, with a flat tail at high energies. Along with previous studies, this emphasises a common feature in the burst energy distribution of hyperactive repeaters. Using the break in the burst fluence distribution, we estimate a source redshift of . We discuss FRB 20240619D’s nature in the context of similar studies of other repeating FRBs
The Design of a Multi-Finger Actuated Breathing-Powered Upper Limb Prosthesis
Get PDFUpper limb deficiencies can limit the range of tasks children can perform. Current prosthetics provide overall good performance to increase the activities that users can complete, but challenges remain. Body- or electrically powered prostheses struggle to restore the full range of motion needed for specific tasks. Currently, these systems do not allow for controlled hand closure or opening across all possible postures. A breathing-powered prototype named Airbender, which extracts energy from a breathing input by means of a Tesla turbine, provides the possibility of operation in any position. This paper introduces a novel design for a multi-finger actuated breathing-powered upper limb prosthetic concept and analyses its performance through a series of lab-based experiments. Results show that such a design could provide a fully controllable system. The final assembled design is capable of achieving full actuation under a flow rate of 340 Ls/min. The results obtained demonstrate that a functional multi-finger actuated breathing-powered upper limb prosthesis could be feasible and opens a path for future research in the field, with the ultimate goal of reducing the minimum flow rate required and actuation time to further improve its functionality
Key crops for processed foods have spatially variable biodiversity impacts not captured in other environmental impact indicators
Get PDFWe must urgently address unsustainable food system practices to protect important ecosystems. Most research quantifying the environmental impacts of food production and consumption has not measured biodiversity impacts directly or spatially, limiting our ability to evaluate how producing and consuming countries are contributing to food system sustainability. Here, we quantify the biodiversity impacts of food crops commonly found in processed foods using a range of accessible metrics. We focus on ingredients found in popular processed foods, such as chocolate digestive biscuits, and show globally reaching impacts. Land-use and fertiliser impacts were greatest for the food crops considered. We also identified Critically Endangered species at risk from habitat loss associated with crops being supplied to the UK specifically. For instance, cocoa production overlaps with nearly 20% of the range of both the Critically Endangered Roloway and Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus monkeys. As crop-specific farm and trade data are not publicly available, it is difficult to know the origin of all ingredients, limiting biodiversity impact estimation. If such data are released in future, our approach can be used to further evaluate biodiversity impacts of foods to inform more sustainable decision-making at consumer, business, and government levels
Positional licensing and the preference for nonconcatenative morphology in Dinka
Get PDFDinka morphophonology has been cited as a challenge for strict item-and-arrangement approaches to morphology, because of the apparent preference for nonconcatenative morphology: most morphological categories are marked solely by phonological changes in a monosyllabic root (Andersen 1992 et seq.). This paper introduces the novel observation that the phonological properties involved in these changes are restricted in overt suffixes. We develop an analysis in which vocalic suffixes undergo CV metathesis into the root, driven by a positional licensing constraint that prefers vowel contrast to be expressed in the root, resulting in changes in vowel quality with predictable lengthening. An item-and-arrangement analysis derives this relationship and accounts for two key properties of Dinka morphology: nonconcatenative morphology is consistent and additive (cf. Sande 2022), while apparent cases of extended exponence are predictable outcomes of vowel harmony or epenthesis conditioned by a complex tonal melody
Creative Intuition and Being in Art: J. Maritain and É. Gilson on Beauty
Get PDFThis paper explores the enduring tension between rational technique (technē) and creative intuition in art, tracing its origins from Plato’s Ion through Kant’s notion of genius as nature’s unteachable rule-giving via the productive imagination. It then examines Jacques Maritain’s and Étienne Gilson’s complementary Thomistic aesthetics as a unified resolution. Maritain locates creative intuition in the soul’s spiritual unconscious, a pre-conceptual grasp of Being (esse) uniting intellect, imagination, and senses in a metaphysical act mirroring divine creation, where poetry reveals beauty as transcendent radiance. Gilson, conversely, emphasizes art as cognitio factiva: the craftsman’s imposition of intelligible form on matter, producing an ontological entity that manifests Being’s splendor objectively, independent of subjectivity. Addressing modern unbelief, the analysis affirms that beauty depends on Being, not belief; even non-theistic artists intuitively participate in esse through form, yielding works that testify to divine reality despite denial
Defining Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Tasks in Health Data Research: A Consensus Study
Get PDFBackground: Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) is essential throughout the research cycle, but a one‐size‐fits‐all approach does not suit all study types. Health data research presents several unique challenges, including ensuring data transparency and security. Thus, PPIE guidance should ideally define specific tasks to reduce the likelihood of tokenistic involvement. We therefore aimed to develop actionable, task‐focused guidance for PPIE in health data research. Methods: We used a consensus development process. We generated a list of potential PPIE tasks in health data research from existing literature informed by discussion with expert witnesses. We convened a consensus panel of nine members, comprising PPIE participants with varying experiences of PPIE and data research, PPIE professionals and health researchers. The panel first rated their agreement with tasks independently online and then discussed disagreements during an in‐person meeting, after which all tasks were re‐rated. We calculated median scores and refined a final set of tasks. Results: We identified 29 tasks across six domains of the research cycle: (1) prioritising and commissioning research; (2) planning research projects; (3) delivering research; (4) interpreting research; (5) sharing and using research knowledge; and (6) evaluating research. Consensus was reached on 25 tasks in the first round. Initial disagreements, particularly around planning research projects and monitoring data privacy, were resolved following structured discussions. Consensus and support were achieved for all 29 tasks following the second round. Conclusions: PPIE participants expressed a strong desire to be involved in all aspects of the research cycle. We offer a framework of actionable PPIE tasks for health data research and invite further development and evaluation. Patient and Public Contributions: PPIE participants were involved shaping the project idea and design, draughting a list of PPIE tasks, rating and discussing the importance of PPIE tasks and co‐writing the publication
The psychological consequences of mental health awareness efforts
Get PDFPublic health campaigns that raise awareness about mental health problems are designed to decrease stigma, increase help-seeking and improve mental health literacy. However, there is some theoretical concern that, alongside benefits, such campaigns might negatively impact how some individuals interpret, label and respond to mental health problems. In this Review, we summarize the extant evidence for the positive and negative psychological impacts of mental health awareness efforts. We integrate theoretical literature with studies using experimental designs in which mental health awareness content is manipulated in a controlled environment that might provide preliminary insights into potential causal relationships. We find that awareness materials can change cognitions and beliefs relating to one’s own mental health and to mental health more generally (such as self-diagnosis and beliefs about recovery). These effects can vary depending on individual characteristics (such as existing symptoms, stability of self-concept and suggestibility), the message being presented, identification with the messenger, and whether there is personalized information about one’s own symptoms. We discuss the implications of this work for adolescent populations and directions for future research
Rethinking the deterrence - disarmament dichotomy: the complex landscape of global nuclear weapons preferences
No full textBackers of nuclear deterrence are thought to use strategic logic, while nuclear disarmament advocates are believed to embrace moral reasoning. Yet, policymakers and diverse publics may hold both—ostensibly contradictory—preferences. Recent studies find that publics in Western, democratic countries support the nuclear strikes underpinning longstanding conceptions of deterrence policy. But other scholarship indicates that these very same publics want to abolish nuclear arsenals. A lack of comparative analyses across the Global North and the Global South limits the generalizability of these claims. Does a categorical dichotomy between nuclear deterrence and disarmament really reflect global public views on the bomb? What explains a multitude of seemingly inconsistent scholarly results? In this reflection essay, we argue that deterrence and disarmament are not necessarily incompatible tools for reducing nuclear dangers. We point to several ways that individuals might simultaneously accommodate both pro- and antinuclear weapons policy positions. To investigate this proposition, we offer a new observational dataset on global nuclear attitudes from a survey we conducted in 24 countries on 6 continents (N=27,250). Unlike isolated studies of these phenomena, our data strongly confirm that publics do not subscribe to categorical views of nuclear weapons. This headline finding and novel dataset open new possibilities for studying nuclear politics
The acquisition of the English plural morpheme by young EFL learners in China
Get PDFA growing body of literature about acquiring inflectional morphemes, such as past tense, by second language learners has been conducted (Jia, 2003; Ionin & Wexler, 2002). Many studies have focused on second language learners from the naturalistic setting. However, research investigating the acquisition of English plural morphemes by young English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners is under researched. As a group with a large population worldwide, EFL learners received limited exposure compared to the learners from an immersive environment. Thus, attempting to understand EFL learners’ grammatical acquisition process better, this study aims to explore the plural morpheme acquisition process by young EFL learners in China. The study involved 60 child participants, categorised into two groups (N = 30 per group): Grade 4 and 6 in a primary school in China. One oral picture description task and one written gap-filling task were conducted with the children to assess their use of English plural morphemes. A language background questionnaire was spread to the parents of each child to examine the potential predictors impacting the grammar acquisition process. Findings demonstrated that after years of English instruction, Grade 4 and 6 children still struggle to produce accurate English plural morphemes in productive tasks. The results carry implications for English language teaching in China and call for more studies on the EFL community