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CO isotopologue-derived molecular gas conditions and CO-to-H2 conversion factors in M51
Get PDFFunding: MJJD, AU and MQ acknowledge support from the Spanish grant PID2022-138560NB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, EU. ES acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 694343).Over the past decade, several millimeter interferometer programs have mapped the nearby star-forming galaxy M51 at a spatial resolution of ≤170 pc. This study combines observations from three major programs: the PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey (PAWS), the SMA M51 large program (SMA-PAWS), and the Surveying the Whirlpool at Arcseconds with NOEMA (SWAN). The dataset includes the (1-0) and (2-1) rotational transitions of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O isotopologues. The observations cover the r<3kpc region including center and part of the disk, thereby ensuring strong detections of the weaker 13CO and C18O lines. All observations are convolved in this analysis to an angular resolution of 4′′, corresponding to a physical scale of ∼170 pc. We investigate empirical line ratio relations and quantitatively evaluate molecular gas conditions such as temperature, density, and the CO-to-H2 conversion factor (αCO). We employ two approaches to study the molecular gas conditions: (i) assuming local thermal equilibrium (LTE) to analytically determine the CO column density and αCO, and (ii) using non-LTE modeling with RADEX to fit physical conditions to observed CO isotopologue intensities. We find that the αCO values {in the center and along the inner spiral arm} are ∼0.5 dex (LTE) and ∼0.1 dex (non-LTE) below the Milky Way inner disk value. The average non-LTE αCO is 2.4±0.5 M⊙ pc−2 (K km s−1)−1. While both methods show dispersion due to underlying assumptions, the scatter is larger for LTE-derived values. This study underscores the necessity for robust CO line modeling to accurately constrain the molecular ISM's physical and chemical conditions in nearby galaxies.Peer reviewe
Ghosts and ancestral spirits as witnesses of World War Two in Papua New Guinea
Get PDFMy thesis explores relationships with the ‘ghosts of war’ – foreign war dead from Australia, Japan, and the United States – in former battlefield sites in Papua New Guinea. I focus on two sites prominent in PNGs World War Two history: the Wide Bay area 100 km south of Rabaul on New Britain island, site of the infamous Tol Plantation Massacre of 160 Australian POWs by Japanese Forces in February 1942; and the Gorari area of Oro Province, where Japanese forces suffered defeat in early November 1942. Both sites hold many unrecovered war dead, with local people experiencing complex relationships with the legacy of WWII and the ghosts of war.
The former combatant nations are actively searching for their dead in their old theaters of war. Additionally, thanatourism and war tourism have increased in popularity for the people of these countries. For people in former battlefield sites I work in, their relationships to the bones of the foreign war dead, and ghosts of war, become important ways through which they extend historical connections and pursue present relations with foreign others who go to their places.
I analyse local idioms through which people remember, interpret, and reinterpret their war histories. In the accounts, some people become aligned to a side during the war, but their rationale are framed according to their own cultural modes and ways of thinking. Many of my interlocutors have postulated that WWII was a foreign war and that they, or their parents and grandparents, were simply caught in between. On the other hand, a politico-religious group in one of my fieldsites have their own cosmological framing of WWII that entirely disregards the ideological orientations of the former combatant nations. Their worldview re-evaluates notions of ‘origin’ and ‘foreign’ and flips the narrative of WWII being a foreign war in PNG."My PhD Studies were funded by the International Balzan Foundation through the Centre of Pacific Studies, School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies. I am grateful to Dame Professor Marilyn Strathern who, through her role in my Balzan award, had the vision to support the PNG Museum’s staff development. I required 9 months discounted study time because of the coronavirus pandemic and for this time I was supported by COVID19 Extension Funds provided by the University of St Andrews."--Fundin
Ten simple rules to bridge ecology and palaeoecology by publishing outside palaeoecological journals
Get PDFFunding: NS received funding from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences; XB has received funding from the postdoctoral fellowships programme Beatriu de Pinós (grant number 801370), funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia) and by the Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the European Union under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801370; SOB received funding by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant: PZ00P2_208687); SP-R was supported by the European Research Council grant ERC-CoG-2021-101045309 TIME-LINES; SGAF acknowledges support from Trond Mohn Stiftelse (TMS) and University of Bergen for the startup grant ‘TMS2022STG03; TF received funding from the Ramsay Fellowship and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101017833;.. AH is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Ramón y Cajal Scheme [RYC2020-029253-I]. EM was funded by the Spanish Council of Science and Innovation (ref. PID2022-138059NB-I00). KM was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant 2020/39/D/ST10/00641).Owing to its specialised methodology, palaeoecology is often regarded as a separate field from ecology, even though it is essential for understanding long-term ecological processes that have shaped the ecosystems that ecologists study and manage. Despite advances in ecological modelling, sample dating, and proxy-based reconstructions facilitating direct comparison of palaeoecological data with neo-ecological data, most of the scientific knowledge derived from palaeoecological studies remains siloed. We surveyed a group of palaeo-researchers with experience in crossing the divide between palaeoecology and neo-ecology, to develop Ten Simple Rules for publishing your palaeoecological research in non-palaeo journals. Our 10 rules are divided into the preparation phase, writing phase, and finalising phase when the article is submitted to the target journal. These rules provide a suite of strategies, including improved networking early in the process, building effective collaborations, transmitting results more efficiently to improve cross-disciplinary accessibility, and integrating concepts and methodologies that appeal to ecologists and a wider readership. Adhering to these Ten Simple Rules can ensure palaeoecologists’ findings are more accessible and impactful among ecologists and the wider scientific community. Although this article primarily shows examples of how palaeoecological studies were published in journals for a broader audience, the rules apply to anyone who aims to publish outside specialised journals.Peer reviewe
A new data-driven map predicts substantial undocumented peatland areas in Amazonia
Get PDFFunding: This work was funded by NERC (Grant ref. NE/R000751/1) to I T L, A H, K H R, E T A M, C M A, and T R B; Charles University (PRIMUS/23/SCI/013) to AH; Charles University Research Centre program UNCE/24/SCI/006 to AH; Leverhulme Trust (grant ref. RPG-2018-306) to K H R, L E S C and C E W E N H C acknowledges support from her NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (NE/V018760/1) and from Green Climate Fund and KOICA to PROFONANPE and IIAP to sample peatlands in the Datem del Marañón in Peru. A H and I T L acknowledge support from the Charles University and University of St Andrews Joint Seed Funding Programme. J E H, F W, and M T F P acknowledge support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq—process number 141727/2011-0 as well as Universal 14/2011) for Brazilian field sampling. J E H, J P J and M T acknowledge support from the Discovery Fund of Fort Worth, Texas, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant Nos. 484), the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. 0717453), and the Programa de Ciencia y Tecnologia—FINCYT (co-financed by the Banco Internacional de Desarollo, BID) Grant Number PIBAP-2007-005.Tropical peatlands are among the most carbon-dense terrestrial ecosystems yet recorded. Collectively, they comprise a large but highly uncertain reservoir of the global carbon cycle, with wide-ranging estimates of their global area (441 025–1700 000 km2) and below-ground carbon storage (105–288 Pg C). Substantial gaps remain in our understanding of peatland distribution in some key regions, including most of tropical South America. Here we compile 2413 ground reference points in and around Amazonian peatlands and use them alongside a stack of remote sensing products in a random forest model to generate the first field-data-driven model of peatland distribution across the Amazon basin. Our model predicts a total Amazonian peatland extent of 251 015 km2 (95th percentile confidence interval: 128 671–373 359), greater than that of the Congo basin, but around 30% smaller than a recent model-derived estimate of peatland area across Amazonia. The model performs relatively well against point observations but spatial gaps in the ground reference dataset mean that model uncertainty remains high, particularly in parts of Brazil and Bolivia. For example, we predict significant peatland areas in northern Peru with relatively high confidence, while peatland areas in the Rio Negro basin and adjacent south-western Orinoco basin which have previously been predicted to hold Campinarana or white sand forests, are predicted with greater uncertainty. Similarly, we predict large areas of peatlands in Bolivia, surprisingly given the strong climatic seasonality found over most of the country. Very little field data exists with which to quantitatively assess the accuracy of our map in these regions. Data gaps such as these should be a high priority for new field sampling. This new map can facilitate future research into the vulnerability of peatlands to climate change and anthropogenic impacts, which is likely to vary spatially across the Amazon basin.Peer reviewe
Should science journalists know science?
Get PDFWhich additional epistemic skills or attributes must a competent journalist possess in order to produce competent science journalism? I aim to answer this question by bringing together insights from journalism, science communication, and epistemology. In Section 2, I outline the Epistemic Challenge for Science Journalism. In Section 3, I present the dominant answer in the literature, the Knowledge-Based Solution, and argue against it. In Section 4, I propose an alternative, the Confirmation-Based Solution. In Section 5, I argue that this solution can address recent concerns regarding journalistic objectivity. Section 6 discusses my proposal in the context of epistemological debates about norms of assertion. Section 7 concludes.Peer reviewe
The adoption problem in the philosophy of logic
Get PDFIn the philosophy of logic, the Adoption Problem is a challenge to the claim that reasoners can, in certain ways, rationally change which logic they use. The (alleged) problem is that if someone does not already infer in accordance with some fundamental logical principles (such as Universal Instantiation or Modus Ponens), then they cannot rationally begin to do so: the “adoption” of these principles is either unnecessary or impossible. In the literature, three issues have emerged as especially contentious: (1) How should we understand the argument for the Adoption Problem? What exactly is the argument's conclusion, and how is it established, if at all? (2) How could someone who thinks that the rational adoption of logic is possible respond to the Adoption Problem? (3) What are the consequences of the Adoption Problem for related issues in the philosophy of logic? In this paper, we address each question in turn. We suggest that the Adoption Problem is best understood in the form of an inconsistent quartet of theses regarding logical inference. We classify positions on logical adoption in terms of which of these theses is abandoned, and we show that such a taxonomy of positions is useful for delineating the scope and consequences of the Adoption Problem.Peer reviewe
Deciphering solar coronal heating : energizing small-scale loops through surface convection
Get PDFFunding: This research has been supported by the European Research Council through the Synergy grant No. 810218 ("The Whole Sun," ERC-2018-SyG); by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through project PGC2018-095832-B-I00; and by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) through its Centres of Excellence scheme, project number 262622. The authors acknowledge the computer resources at the MareNostrum supercomputing installation and the technical support provided by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC, RES-AECT-2021-1-0023, RES-AECT-2022-2-0002). The use of UCAR's VAPOR software (Li et al. 2019; Pearse et al. 2023) is gratefully acknowledged. This work also benefited from discussions at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, through ISSI International Team project #535 Unraveling surges: a joint perspective from numerical models, observations, and machine learning. L.R.v.d.V. is supported by RCN project number 325491. M.M. acknowledges financial support by DFG grant WI 3211/8-1. The Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope is operated on the island of La Palma by the Institute for Solar Physics of Stockholm University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. The Institute for Solar Physics is supported by a grant for research infrastructures of national importance from the Swedish Research Council (registration number 2017-00625). SDO observations are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.The solar atmosphere is filled with clusters of hot small-scale loops commonly known as coronal bright points (CBPs). These ubiquitous structures stand out in the Sun by their strong X-ray and/or extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) emission for hours to days, which makes them a crucial piece when solving the solar coronal heating puzzle. In addition, they can be the source of coronal jets and small-scale filament eruptions. Here we present a novel 3D numerical model using the Bifrost code that explains the sustained CBP heating for several hours. We find that stochastic photospheric convective motions alone significantly stress the CBP magnetic field topology, leading to important Joule and viscous heating concentrated around the CBP's inner spine at a few megameters above the solar surface. We also detect continuous upflows with faint EUV signals resembling observational dark coronal jets and small-scale eruptions when Hα fibrils interact with the reconnection site. We validate our model by comparing simultaneous CBP observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Swedish 1‐m Solar Telescope (SST) with observable diagnostics calculated from the numerical results for EUV wavelengths as well as for the Hα line using the Multi3D synthesis code. Additionally, we provide synthetic observables to be compared with Hinode, Solar Orbiter, and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Our results constitute a step forward in the understanding of the many different facets of the solar coronal heating problem.Peer reviewe
Sex differences in the psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale in older Filipinos
Get PDFFunding: The authors would like to acknowledge the LSAHP project, which was conducted by the Demographic Research and Development Foundation and funded by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, Jakarta, Indonesia. Further, this study was developed from the corresponding author’s thesis, which won the grand prize for the Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize for the Social Sciences of the Philippine Social Science Council and was also supported by a grant from the Josefina V. Cabigon Memorial Scholarship by the University of the Philippines Population Institute.The literature has yet to fully account for sex differences in the symptomatology and measurement of depressive symptoms, especially in developing settings like the Philippines. Thus, we established the factor structure and assessed the reliability of the 11-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) Scale for assessing depressive symptoms in older Filipino men and women. Using cross-sectional data from 5,209 community-dwelling Filipinos aged 60 and above from a nationally representative survey, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and methods in Item Response Theory (IRT) were applied to provide complementary insights into the properties of the scale and its individual items. CFA supported the multidimensionality of the scale. The scale is also sex-invariant, but the relationship between the subfactors and the higher-order factor may differ between men and women. In addition, findings from IRT analysis confirmed the overall utility of the CES-D scale, but positively stated items were found to be internally inconsistent with the rest of the scale. The scale is desirably informative for assessing more severe symptoms, although sex differences were found in the precision of individual items. In general, the 11-item CES-D Scale is an adequate multidimensional tool for assessing moderate to severe depressive symptoms in the older population, especially in older men.Peer reviewe
Introduction : the discreet charm of predictive policing
Get PDFFunding: ESRC project 'NordForsk Digitalisation of the Public Sector - Critical Understanding of Predictive Policing' (grant number ES/V009338/1).Over the past 20 years, police organisations and practices across the globe have adopted data-driven tools to predict and prevent crime. Advances in digitalisation combined with the increasing role of private security, tech, and consulting companies are reshaping contemporary policing. Techno-managerialism, underpinned by computational logic, has altered the way we think – from causality to correlations and probabilities. In this introduction, we present the historical origins of predictive policing, a genealogical analysis of the concept, and introduce external factors for understanding the rise of predictive policing. Next, the critical understanding of predictive policing will be presented. The background is that the discreet charm of prediction, in terms of increased efficiency, reduced fiscal burdens, improved accuracy of decision-making, streamlined data management, and lower crime rates, has in recent years been met with scepticism, considerable critique, and even warnings of dystopia. We conclude the introduction by presenting our interdisciplinary approach to predictive policing and the volume's analysis of digital police infrastructure in Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, and the UK.Peer reviewe
A1 is induced by pathogen ligands to limit myeloid cell death and NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Get PDFFunding: This work was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia project and ideas grants (2011584 to MS; 1140187, 1165591 to EDH; 1143105 to MJH; 1164556, 1183848 to TN; 1101405, 1183070 to JEV; 1145788 to JEV, KEL; 1162765, 1181089 to KEL), fellowships (1144014 to SAC; 1156095 to MJH; 1159230 to JSP; 1141466 to JEV), and Investigator (Leadership 1) grants (2008652 to EDH; 2008692 to JEV) and a Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society Specialised Center of Research Program Grant to MJH (LLS SCOR 7015‐18). TN and KEL are Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellows (FT170100313 and FT190100266). DSS was supported by a philanthropic PhD scholarship from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. This work was also supported by operational infrastructure grants through the Australian Government IRISS (9000587) and the Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support, Australia.Programmed cell death pathways play an important role in innate immune responses to infection. Activation of intrinsic apoptosis promotes infected cell clearance; however, comparatively little is known about how this mode of cell death is regulated during infections and whether it can induce inflammation. Here, we identify that the pro‐survival BCL‐2 family member, A1, controls activation of the essential intrinsic apoptotic effectors BAX/BAK in macrophages and monocytes following bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sensing. We show that, due to its tight transcriptional and post‐translational regulation, A1 acts as a molecular rheostat to regulate BAX/BAK‐dependent apoptosis and the subsequent NLRP3 inflammasome‐dependent and inflammasome‐independent maturation of the inflammatory cytokine IL‐1β. Furthermore, induction of A1 expression in inflammatory monocytes limits cell death modalities and IL‐1β activation triggered by Neisseria gonorrhoeae‐derived outer membrane vesicles (NOMVs). Consequently, A1‐deficient mice exhibit heightened IL‐1β production in response to NOMV injection. These findings reveal that bacteria can induce A1 expression to delay myeloid cell death and inflammatory responses, which has implications for the development of host‐directed antimicrobial therapeutics.Peer reviewe
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