32151 research outputs found
Sort by
AT2021uey : a planetary microlensing event outside the galactic bulge
Get PDFFunding: Work by Makiko Ban and Radosław Poleski was supported by Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange grant “Polish Returns 2019.” This work was developed within the Fink community and made use of the Fink community broker resources. Julien Peloton thanks LSST-France and CNRS/IN2P3 for supporting Fink. We acknowledge ESA Gaia, DPAC and the Photometric Science Alerts Team19. Josep Manel Carrasco was (partially) supported by the Spanish MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” by the “European Union” through grant PID2021-122842OB-C21, and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences University of Barcelona (ICCUB, Unidad de Excelencia ‘María de Maeztu’) through grant CEX2019-000918-M. Erika Paks̆tienė, Justas Zdanavic̆ius, Marius Maskoliūnas, Vytautas C̆epas, Rūta Urbonavic̆iūtė, Edita Stonkute acknowledge the support of the observations at Moletai AO from the Research Council of Lithuania (grant No. S-LL-24-1). Work by Akihiko Fukui and Norio Narita was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H02871, JP17H04574, JP18H05439, and JST CREST Grant Number JPMJCR1761. Yiannis Tsapras acknowledges the support of DFG priority program SPP 1992 “Exploring the Diversity of Extrasolar Planets” (TS 356/3-1). The project is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 101004719. We acknowledge the support from the European Union’s research and innovation programmes under grant agreements No. 101004719 (OPTICON-RadioNet Pilot, ORP) and No. 101131928 (ACME). We acknowledge the support from the Polish National Science Centre NCN grant DAINA No 2024/52/L/ST9/00210. This work was partially supported by a program of the Polish Ministry of Science under the title ‘Regional Excellence Initiative’, project no. RID/SP/0050/2024/1. R.F.J. acknowledges support for this project provided by ANID’s Millennium Science Initiative through grant ICN12_009, awarded to the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), and by ANID’s Basal project FB210003.We report the analysis of a planetary microlensing event AT2021uey. The event was observed outside the Galactic bulge and alerted both space-(Gaia) and ground-based (ZTF and ASAS-SN) surveys. From the observed data, we find that the lens system is located at a distance of ∼1 kpc and comprises an M-dwarf host star of about half a solar mass, orbited by a Jupiter-like planet beyond the snowline. The source star could be a metal-poor giant located in the halo according to the spectral analyses and modelling. Hence, AT2021uey is a unique example of the binary-lens event outside the bulge that is offered by a disc-halo lens-source combination.Peer reviewe
Integrated population clustering and genomic epidemiology with PopPIPE
Get PDFFunding: S.T.H., J.v.W., J.T. and J.A.L. were supported by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. S.T.H. and J.A.L. were additionally supported by BBSRC (reference BB/Y513805/1). N.J.C. was supported by the UK Medical Research Council and Department for International Development (grants MR/R015600/1 and MR/T016434/1). N.J.C. acknowledges funding from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis (reference MR/X020258/1 and MR/T016434/1), funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). This UK funded award is carried out in the frame of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking. M.P.M., K.A.P., T.J.E., A.L., S.H.G. and M.T.G.H were supported by the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland) (grant number SIRN/10). Analysis of E. faecium data was performed on the Crop Diversity Bioinformatics HPC hosted by the James Hutton Institute and funded by BBSRC (reference BB/S019669/1).Genetic distances between bacterial DNA sequences can be used to cluster populations into closely related subpopulations and as an additional source of information when detecting possible transmission events. Due to their variable gene content and order, reference-free methods offer more sensitive detection of genetic differences, especially among closely related samples found in outbreaks. However, across longer genetic distances, frequent recombination can make calculation and interpretation of these differences more challenging, requiring significant bioinformatic expertise and manual intervention during the analysis process. Here, we present a Pop ulation analysis PIPE line (PopPIPE) which combines rapid reference-free genome analysis methods to analyse bacterial genomes across these two scales, splitting whole populations into subclusters and detecting plausible transmission events within closely related clusters. We use k-mer sketching to split populations into strains, followed by split k-mer analysis and recombination removal to create alignments and subclusters within these strains. We first show that this approach creates high-quality subclusters on a population-wide dataset of Streptococcus pneumoniae. When applied to nosocomial vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium samples, PopPIPE finds transmission clusters that are more epidemiologically plausible than core genome or multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approaches. Our pipeline is rapid and reproducible, creates interactive visualizations and can easily be reconfigured and re-run on new datasets. Therefore, PopPIPE provides a user-friendly pipeline for analyses spanning species-wide clustering to outbreak investigations.Peer reviewe
Hamilton's rule predicts sibling cannibalism in a wild population of insects
Get PDFDespite its seminal status in evolutionary biology, empirical studies that fully assess the different components of Hamilton's rule in natural systems remain limited. This is in part due to the difficulty of quantifying the costs and benefits to the actor and recipient of a given behaviour, compared with the relative ease of quantifying relatedness. Sibling cannibalism represents a rare opportunity where the costs and benefits can be more easily quantified, in particular, because the cannibalized individual achieves zero fitness. We show that parameterizing Hamilton's rule for sibling cannibalism by wild first instar Lygaeus creticus seed bugs predicts the observed cannibalism behaviour: conspecific eggs are cannibalized without regard to relatedness, but the large survival benefit of eating a conspecific egg outweighs any loss of inclusive fitness from eating kin. In addition, we show that L. creticus nymphs prefer to cannibalize conspecific eggs over heterospecific Spilostethus pandurus eggs but that this preference depends on hatching environment. This suggests a potential role of learning in the expression of cannibalism preferences, adding ecology to the evolutionary context of Hamilton's rule.Peer reviewe
Building decolonial climate justice movements : four tensions
Get PDFFunding: Michael Simpson received financial support from a Royal Society of Edinburgh Personal Research Fellowship.Prevailing approaches to resolving the climate crisis further entrench and extend the same institutions of racial capitalism and colonial domination which have precipitated this crisis. The need to build transformative movements to fight for climate justice is dire. Yet, transformative movements are inevitably structured by many of the same dynamics they oppose. This presents a risk that such movements may reproduce colonial or otherwise unjust relations in the worlds they seek to bring about. We point to four areas of tension where we see this dilemma playing out within efforts to build decolonial climate justice movements, and briefly discuss some questions that arise for scholars committed to this work.Peer reviewe
Expectations distorted : an ethnographic study in and beyond Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanic Garden
Get PDFThis dissertation focuses on the Botanic Garden in Shenzhen, a city that has transformed from a small town to one of the four largest cities in mainland China over the past 40 years. Unlike other botanic gardens in China, which were founded either by royal families or botanists, the Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanic Garden was administratively proposed by the city's mayor in the early 1980s. The development of the Botanic Garden was a process of the “humanisation of nature,” accompanied by ancient Chinese and Socialist aesthetic practices.
Meanwhile, administrative intervention sought to create a submissive environment, realised through consistent watering, trimming, and other horticultural activities, which were resisted by the natural characteristics of the species. Within and beyond the Botanic Garden, five trees planted by Chinese paramount leaders received different levels of care, reflecting the relationships between leaders and those between the leaders and Shenzhen society. Occasional overprotection revealed the local administration's anxiety, though this tension could not be resolved by conscious intervention.
Additionally, the Hongfa Temple was established in the 1980s within the Botanic Garden. The opening of the Buddhist temple bore the expectations of senior religious leaders who aimed to socialise Buddhism. However, 30 years later, these expectations were distorted by both the incumbent abbot and lay visitors, whose imaginations and expectations were shaped by their everyday lives rather than by slogans and doctrines.
The topics discussed above imply that interventions from administrations or bureaucrats can shape everyday practices, but they cannot override the laws of nature or fully suppress individual self-consciousness. Therefore, there may be an alternative approach that acknowledges everyone as a Benjaminian ragpicker, illuminating themselves lyrically
Radio signatures of magnetic stellar coronae
Get PDFStars are central to our understanding of the universe, and yet their diverse characteristics and behaviours remain a subject of intense study. This thesis focuses on one specific aspect of stellar astronomy: the magnetic fields of cool stars, particularly their coronal structures. By combining data-driven modelling with independent observations, two proof-of-concept studies are presented that explore how stellar magnetic fields impact their surrounding coronas. The first study investigates the young-Sun analogue AB Dor, using synthetic radio imagery and interferometric observations to demonstrate that AB Dor’s corona extends significantly farther than that of the Sun, with implications for the circumstellar environment of young stars. The second study examines the role of stellar prominences in producing radio bursts on the M Dwarf V374 Peg, showing that prominence ejections can explain observed periodic radio emissions, and providing insights into the physical processes behind stellar radio activity. This research lays the groundwork for future investigations to expand our understanding of stellar magnetic fields and their effects on the stellar neighbourhood."This work was supported by the University of St Andrews, through the GH Chaplin Scholarship and the Handsel Tuition Fee Scholarship."--Fundin
Teaching humanities in UK medical schools : towards community-building and coherence
Get PDFFunding: The workshop discussed in this article, ‘Building a Network for Medical Humanities Scholars Teaching in UK Medical Schools’, hosted at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, was funded by the University of Oxford Strategic Innovation Fund, John Fell Fund, and the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews.Medical humanities teaching in UK medical schools has lacked cohesion, having developed opportunistically in different locations. Cohesion is necessary to develop an identifiable community of practice, but within that community there can be multiple readings of what ‘medical humanities’ are and how they may develop. This article details discussions held by medical humanities scholars teaching in UK medical schools at a workshop in January 2025 at the University of Oxford covering five key areas: the role of humanities scholars in medical schools, patients as partners in medical education, core curriculum teaching, intercalated teaching, and assessment. Our discussion highlights opportunities and challenges facing humanities teaching in UK medical schools today and calls for the creation of a community of medical humanities scholars working in UK medical education embracing diversity of opinion and practices. The article is specifically written as a synopsis of a brainstorming symposium.Peer reviewe
Advancing functionalization of polymer nanocomposite
Get PDFFunding: MM intend to acknowledge MAKAUT WB, Kolkata for providing infrastructural support for carrying out a part of experimental work. AD, SB, and Dr. Moumita Mukherjee acknowledges Adamas University, Kolkata for their extended support.Polymer is one of the finest inventions in the field of material science owing to its multifaceted application and existence of dual phase matrix being coexistence of crystalline and amorphous phase. The present research represents the possibilities of functionalization of polymer for its suitable application. The review has been initialized with basic features of polymer and its relevant traits exploited for processing in terms of nanocomposite. An account on the functionalization of resin-based matrix is described with the processing of functional nanocomposite. Polymer bears highest application as being electrolyte membrane in solid state devices, which is the example of next generation renewable source of energy storage and generation. The non electrolyte polymers are thereby processed using mobile salt matrix (charge carrier) along with plasticizer and non-reactive fillers like silica, alumina etc. A section with detailed account on functionalization of polyelectrolytes and non-electrolytes with carbon nanotubes progressed afterwards. The proved interfacial interaction introduced upon insertion of nano tubes account for much augmented properties associated with polymer composite reinforced with carbon nano tubes. An insight on the mechanistic understanding on the functionality and mode of working on nano fillers within polymer composite is illustrated with relevant examples. Plastic pollution being a significant threat to the society worldwide, green methods for polymer synthesis and its biodegradability is one of the important research arena’s. In this context, the final chapter illustrates the prospects and challenges associated with green polymer nano composite. Examples on processing based on polymer blend are discussed in details which is concluded with the application aspect of such polymer nanocomposite through green processing route and biodegradability of such polymer nanocomposite
Semi-confined supernova feedback in Hɪɪ region bubbles
Get PDFThis project was supported by the STFC training grant ST/W507817/1 (project reference 2599314).Galactic-scale simulations rely on subgrid models to provide prescriptions for the coupling between supernova (SN) feedback and the interstellar medium (ISM). Many of these models are computed in 1D to allow for an efficient way to account for the variability of properties of their local environment. However, small-scale simulations revealed that the release of energy from SNe within molecular clouds can be highly asymmetrical. This is largely due to the presence of pre-SN feedback, such as ionizing radiation, that are able to carve cavities and channels around the progenitors prior to their detonation. Being partially confined, the SN energy escapes into the outer ISM preferentially through these channels, departing from the spherically symmetric 1D descriptions. To understand by how much the feedback output could differ, we present a theoretical model for a semi-confined SN. The problem concerns a SN expanding into an evolved Hɪɪ region, bounded by a molecular cloud with pre-existing vents. With the aid of simple 3D hydrodynamical simulations, we show that this mode of energy release increases the local dynamical impact of the outflows, and extends the time-scales over which the SN is energetically coupled to the surrounding matter. We also show that the amount of small-scale solenoidal turbulence driven by semi-confined SNe may be amplified.Peer reviewe
Rapid gram-scale microwave-assisted synthesis of organic anodes for sodium-ion batteries with environmental impact assessment
Get PDFFunding: A. V. D., R. E. M., and A. R. A. thank Faraday Institution for funding (Grants – FIRG018, FIRG064). R. E. and R. E. M. thank the European Research Council for funding (Advanced Grant – 787073). The authors also thank the EPSRC for the Light Element Facility Grant (EP/T019298/1) and Strategic Equipment Resource Grant (EP/R023751/1). The authors give thanks to and acknowledge funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Chemistry: Atoms-2-Products an Integrated Approach to Sustainable Chemistry (EP/S022236/1). EL acknowledges funding from the University of the Basque Country (Convocatoria de ayudas a grupos de investigación GIU21/010).Development of sustainable synthesis methods of organic electrode materials (OEMs) for sodium (Na)-ion batteries must take hold rapidly in large scale-synthesis if subsequent commercialisation is to occur. We report a facile and rapid gram-scale synthesis method based on microwave irradiation for disodium naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate (Na-NDC) and mono/disodium benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate (Na-BDC) as model compounds. Phase purity and formation of materials was confirmed by various characterisation techniques. The electrochemical performance was tested in both half and full cell formats and compared to material obtained via smaller scale synthesis, revealing state-of-the art performance in terms of capacity retention and cyclability. The environmental impacts upon organic anode synthesis were quantified according to cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA). The results allow for the identification of environmental hotspots during production, indicating areas for future process optimisation. Interestingly, remarkably reduced impacts are obtained compared to conventional syntheses at milligram scale. Additionally, this work suggests potential significant improvements upon additional upscaling and solvent recycling.Peer reviewe
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage St Andrews Research Repository? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!