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Unveiling the Significance of Graphene Nanoplatelet (GNP) Localization in Tuning the Performance of PP/HDPE Blends
Get PDFHigh-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) blends are widely used in industries requiring mechanically durable materials, yet the impact of processing parameters on blend performance remains underexplored. This study investigates the influence of blending sequence and screw speed on the properties of blends of HDPE and PP filled with 1.25 wt.% graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). Changes in crystallization behaviour, tensile strength, and viscoelastic responses with blending sequence are studied. The addition of GNP increases the crystallization temperature (Tc) of PP in the PE/PP blend by 4 °C when GNP is pre-mixed with PE to form (PE+GNP)/PP blends. In contrast, when GNP is pre-mixed with PP to create (PP+GNP)/PE blends, the Tc of PP rises by approximately 11 °C, from 124 °C for the neat PE/PP blend to 135 °C. On the other hand, the Tc of PE remains unchanged regardless of the blending sequence. XRD patterns reveal the impact of blending regime on crystallinity, with GNP alignment affecting peak intensities confirming the more efficient interaction of GNPs with PP when premixed before blending with PE, (PP+GNP)/PE. Tensile moduli are less sensitive to the changes in processing, e.g., screw speed and blending sequence. In contrast, elongation at break and tensile toughness show distinct variations. The elongation at the break of the (PP+GNP)/PE blend decreases by 30% on increasing screw speed from 50 to 200 rpm. Moreover, the elongation at the break of (PE+GNP)/PP prepared at 100 rpm is ~40% higher than that of the (PP+GNP)/PE. (PE+GNP)/PP displays a ‘quasi-co-continuous’ morphology linked to its higher elastic modulus G′ compared to that of the (PP+GNP)/PE blend. This study highlights the importance and correlation between processing and blend properties, offering insights into fine-tuning polymer composite formulation for optimal performance
Exploring patients’ views regarding the support and rehabilitation needs of people living with myocardial ischaemia and no obstructive coronary arteries: a qualitative interview study
Get PDFObjectives: This study aimed to generate new qualitative insights to understand the rehabilitation needs of people living with a confirmed or presumed diagnosis of ischaemia with no obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA), explore which aspects of current cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes could meet the needs of people with INOCA and where adjustments (if any) may be appropriate. Design: Semistructured qualitative interview study. Participants: Interviews were undertaken (n=17; 88% female, age range 31–69 years) with people with a confirmed or presumed diagnosis of INOCA. Results: Findings highlighted concerns around a lack of evidence-based guidance for cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes for patients with INOCA. Participants expressed a desire for modular cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes that could be accessed flexibly to accommodate episodic fluctuations in symptoms. Participants suggested that existing cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programme content needed adjustment including enhanced psychosocial support, supervised low-impact physical activity and specialist dietary advice and medication reviews. Additional elements specific to INOCA should be made available as appropriate including acute care planning and a module to provide information and support for female-specific issues. The importance of involving INOCA patients in the codesign of future programmes and associated training was emphasised. Conclusions: People with INOCA are willing to engage with cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes and express a desire for more support. This patient group shares some barriers to rehabilitation programme attendance with other cardiac patient groups, but they also have specific concerns about the need for improved professional knowledge and evidence-based guidance regarding the management of INOCA. Cardiovascular rehabilitation programmes need to be delivered flexibly and individually tailored to ensure the relapsing and remitting nature of INOCA and associated support needs are addressed
Context-Aware Audio-Visual Speech Enhancement Based on Neuro-Fuzzy Modelling and User Preference Learning
Get PDFIt is estimated that by 2050 approximately one in ten individuals globally will experience disabling hearing impairment. In the presence of everyday reverberant noise, a substantial proportion of individual users encounter challenges in speech comprehension. This study introduces a novel application of neuro-fuzzy modelling that synergizes and fuses audio-visual speech enhancement (AV SE) with an initial user preference learning based framework. Specifically, our approach uniquely integrates multimodal AV speech data with innovative SE methods and fuzzy inferencing techniques. This integration is further enriched by incorporating a user-preference learning model that adapts to environmental and user-specific contexts, including signal-to-noise ratios, sound power, and the quality of visual information. The proposed framework facilitates the incorporation of clinical measures such as user cognitive load (or listening effort) with real-world uncertainty to steer the system outputs. We employ an adaptive fuzzy neural network to derive the most effective Sugeno fuzzy inference model, employing particle swarm optimization to ensure optimal SE by considering sound power, ambient noise levels, and visual quality. Experimental results utilise our new benchmark AV multi-talker Challenge dataset to demonstrate the superiority of our user preference-informed, context-aware AV SE approach in enhancing speech intelligibility and quality in challenging noisy conditions, marking a significant advancement over conventional methods while reducing energy consumption. The conclusion supports the ecological scalability of our approach and its potential for real-world applications, setting a new benchmark in AV SE research, paving the way for future assistive hearing and communication technologies
Is dissociation a fundamental component of ICD-11 Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
Get PDFICD-11 Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is a disorder of six symptom clusters including re-experiencing, avoidance, sense of threat, affective dysregulation, negative self-concept, and disturbed relationships. Unlike earlier descriptions of complex PTSD, ICD-11 CPTSD does not list dissociation as a unique symptom cluster. We tested whether the ICD-11 CPTSD symptoms can exist independently of dissociation in a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 1,020) who completed self-report measures. Latent class analysis was used to identify unique subsets of people with distinctive symptom profiles. The best fitting model contained four classes including a ‘low symptoms’ class (48.9%), a ‘PTSD’ class (14.7%), a ‘CPTSD’ class (26.5%), and a ‘CPTSD + Dissociation’ class (10.0%). These classes were related to specific adverse childhood experiences, notably experiences of emotional and physical neglect. The ‘PTSD’, ‘CPTSD’, and ‘CPTSD + Dissociation’ classes were associated with a host of poor health outcomes, however, the ‘CPTSD + Dissociation’ class had the poorest mental health and highest levels of functional impairment. Findings suggest that ICD-11 CPTSD symptoms can occur without corresponding dissociative experiences, however, when CPTSD symptoms and dissociative experiences occur together, health outcomes appear to be more severe
International Music Preferences as a Measure of Culture: Evidence from Cross-Border Mergers
Get PDFThis paper introduces the significance of international music preferences as a determinant of cross-border mergers. We argue that international music preferences capture the distance in culture between nations. We find that country pairs whose citizens experience relatively small distance in their music preferences (listen to each other’s music) exhibit more cross-border mergers. Overall, this study highlights that music preferences can measure international similarities in culture
Deconstructing commemorative narratives: the anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Get PDFHistorically, researchers have studied commemorative events primarily for their political role in the (re)construction of contested national collective memories and identities, but globalisation, social justice movements, multiculturalism and regionalism forces are further transforming commemorative practices in the 21st century. This study adopts the semiotic paradigm to deconstruct commemorative narratives communicated during major anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In doing so, this paper evidences how interwoven signs in these commemorative events construct multi-layered narratives of transnational collective memory and identity based on shared values that transcend the political boundaries of the nation. The study further showcases how shifting political contexts influence commemorative narratives, whilst at the same time commemorative events may increasingly be designed to appeal to a broader, global audience as leisure phenomena of transnational significance
A Controversy around Single Parental Authority after Divorce in Japanese Family Law - a Happy Ending for the Parents and Children?
No full textJapan is one example of a democratic state governed by the rule of law, which ratified international conventions on children’s rights, yet it has been struggling with their full implementation. A vivid example of such a problem is the system of single parental authority after divorce, known in Japanese as Rikongo no Tandoku Shinken (離婚後単の単独親権). Under the pretext of protecting the children’s best interests against conflicted parents, a long time ago, the Japanese legislator established a system in which one of the parents automatically loses parental authority and has no legal guarantee of maintaining contact with the child. The article will outline this issue by indicating its legal and historical sources, presenting statistical data and societal views of Japanese citizens, describing practical aspects related to the impact of the system on contact with the child, examining the most famous court rulings, and finally, shedding light on the upcoming reform. There is no doubt that the single parental authority system is inconsistent with the UNCRC standards, and its revision has been recommended for years. However, international pressure forced the Japanese government to initiate the discussion on the reform. After all, on 30 January 2024, the Family Law Subcommittee adopted outlines of the amendment of the Civil Code to introduce joint parental authority after divorce. Since the government supported the reform of the parental authority system, the Diet will possibly pass the bill soon without additional controversies. The introduction of the amendments to the Civil Code will profoundly change the definition of parental authority, provision on the residence, maintaining contact, and child support. Thus, the current legislative action will fundamentally change the Japanese family law system.Japonia jest jednym z demokratycznych państw prawa, które ratyfi kowały międzynarodowe konwencje dotyczące praw dziecka, lecz mimo wszystko zmagają się z ich pełnym wdrożeniem. Namacalnym przykładem takiego problemu jest system pojedynczej władzy rodzicielskiej po rozwodzie, znany po japońsku jako Rikongo no Tandoku Shinken ( 離婚後単の単独親権). Pod pretekstem ochrony najlepszego interesu dziecka w obliczu konfl iktu pomiędzy rodzicami, wiele lat temu japoński prawodawca wprowadził system, w którym jeden z rodziców automatycznie traci władzę rodzicielską i nie posiada prawnego interesu utrzymania kontaktu z dzieckiem. Niniejszy artkuł pokrótce zarysuje ten problem poprzez wskazanie jego źródeł prawnych i historycznoprawnych, przedstawiając dane statystyczne i opinie japońskiego społeczeństwa oraz wskazując na praktyczne aspekty związane z wpływem systemu na kontakty z dzieckiem. W dalszej części tekstu przybliżone zostaną najważniejsze wyroki sądowe w tej materii oraz omówiona zostanie bieżąca reforma prawa rodzinnego w Japonii. Nie ulega wątpliwości, że system pojedynczej władzy rodzicielskiej jest sprzeczny z pryncypiami ustanowionymi przez Konwencję Praw Dziecka, zaś jego rewizja jest postulowana od wielu lat. Jednak to dopiero presja międzynarodowa zmusiła japoński rząd do zainicjowania debaty nad reformą. Ostatecznie, 30 stycznia 2024, Podkomisja ds. Prawa Rodzinnego przyjęła zarys poprawek do Kodeksu Cywilnego w celu wprowadzenia systemu wspólnej władzy rodzicielskiej po rozwodzie. Z racji na to, że rząd popiera postulowane zmiany, Parlament prawdopodobnie przegłosuje projekt ustawy bez dodatkowych obiekcji. Wprowadzenie poprawek do Kodeksu Cywilnego gruntownie zmieni defi nicję i zakres władzy rodzicielskiej, obowiązków rodziców, wykonywanie wspólnej lub pojedynczej władzy rodzicielskiej, jak również przepisy dotyczące opieki na dzieckiem, kontaktów i obowiązków alimentacyjnych. Procesowana obecnie zmiana legislacyjna fundamentalnie zmieni oblicze japońskiego prawa rodzinnego
Spring forth diversity: Specialist species contribute to the conservation value of headwater springs and streams at the landscape scale
Get PDFHeadwater springs and streams often occur in relatively remote areas, reducing their exposure to human influences and thus increasing their collective capacity to support high biodiversity. Their aquatic macroinvertebrate communities can include species of conservation interest, some of which are specialists associated with groundwater inputs, low water temperature or temporary flow. However, the inaccessibility of some spring and stream networks has left their communities poorly characterized, limiting our capacity to implement effective conservation strategies. We characterized the biodiversity and conservation value of macroinvertebrate communities in a network of 51 relatively inaccessible and unimpacted headwater spring and stream sites spanning multiple catchments in a single landscape type: the chalk downland of south England. At each site, we kick sampled macroinvertebrate communities and recorded environmental variables, including flow permanence. To represent each community, we calculated taxa richness, coverage‐adjusted Hill‐Shannon diversity, the local contribution to beta diversity, and an index of richness and species rarity. We used the latter three metrics to rank sites based on their biodiversity and conservation value and analyzed relationships between metrics and environmental variables. We found specialists of springs, cold waters, groundwaters and temporary flow regimes, including rare species of conservation value. Some metrics responded to environmental variables, but top‐ranking sites had highly variable environmental characteristics. We highlight the value of individual headwater streams with contrasting characteristics as contributors to ecologically heterogeneous site networks. Our results can inform landscape‐scale management strategies that protect headwaters as refuges that support biodiverse communities, including rare species, as they adapt to global change
Social media, Mental health and Equestrian events
Get PDFMany studies have investigated the benefits and drawbacks of social media, but the impact it has on amateur sports participants who use it as part of their practice has been largely overlooked. This study addresses this gap, investigating the impacts of social media on the mental health of women participating in amateur sport activities – specifically, equestrian events through a mixed methods survey of 221 female amateur equestrians in the UK. Themes included the pressure to present a ‘perfect’ image to an external audience, the stress of comparison to others, and constant judgement around the performance of a participant. We also found issues of distorted reality and false representation. We conclude by highlighting a need for better assistance for athletes both while they are competing at events and at other times, particularly pre/post event
Mathematics in Postmodern American Fiction
No full text* Emphasises the contingency of mathematics on cultural and political changes* Focuses on new understanding of literary postmodernism in dialogue with mathematical science* Reveals the overlooked ways in which representative mathematical concepts inform signature literary development
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