Gaps in our understanding of ice-nucleating particle sources exposed by global simulation of the UK Earth System Model

Changes in the availability of a subset of aerosol known as ice-nucleating particles (INPs) can substantially alter cloud microphysical and radiative properties. Despite very large spatial and temporal variability in INP properties, many climate models do not currently represent the link between (i) the global distribution of aerosols and INPs and (ii) primary ice production in clouds. Here we use the UK Earth System Model to simulate the global distribution of dust, marine-sourced, and black carbon INPs suitable for immersion-mode freezing of liquid cloud droplets over an annual cycle. The model captures the overall spatial and temporal distribution of measured INP concentrations, which is strongly influenced by the world's major mineral dust source regions. A negative bias in simulated versus measured INP concentrations at higher freezing temperatures points to incorrectly defined INP properties or a missing source of INPs. We find that the ability of the model to reproduce measured INP concentrations is greatly improved by representing dust as a mixture of mineralogical and organic ice-nucleating components, as present in many soils. To improve the agreement further, we define an optimized hypothetical parameterization of dust INP activity (ns(T)) as a function of temperature with a logarithmic slope of −0.175 K⁻¹, which is much shallower than existing parameterizations (e.g. −0.35 K⁻¹ for the K-feldspar data of Harrison et al., 2019). The results point to a globally important role for an organic component associated with mineral dust

Divergences and convergences across European musical preferences: how taste varies within and between countries

When investigating relational structures in culture, research in Europe has often either mapped the relationship between cultural tastes in a particular context, or mapped differences in cultural tastes (measured consistently) in different countries, without assessing how these differences can vary across them. Indeed, the idea of national homology (namely that the structures of cultural capital would be fairly similar in nations across Europe) has never been really tested, probably due to a lack of cross-national research on cultural preferences. Using data from the EUCROSS survey that took place in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and the UK (2012–2013, n = 6016), we first use multiple correspondence analysis to estimate the relationships between a set of items on musical tastes. We then extend this through the use of class-specific analysis, to investigate how these relationships vary in each of the six countries. Finally, we analyse the relationships between the underlying dimensions of music tastes and different components of cosmopolitanism, compared with key demographic variables. We show that the musical field significantly varies across the nations represented in the survey, demonstrating that musical preferences remain largely anchored in national contexts. Cultural preferences are shaped by historical and social dynamics specific to each country, with significant variations in the symbolic value and demographic associations of music genres

Comparison of outcomes from a university counselling service before and during COVID‐19: exploring the use of remote therapy

Background Research pooling data from UK university counselling services (UCSs) has allowed UCSs to compare their outcomes and demonstrate their effectiveness in improving student mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UCSs moved to remote delivery. Consequently, it was necessary to understand how this impacted students' outcomes. Aims This evaluation aimed to (1) understand how the therapeutic outcomes of a UCS compared with established norms in UK UCS literature, and (2) understand whether delivering therapy online affected student outcomes compared with UK norms from in-person therapy. Method Sessional outcome data from 627 students who attended the UCS in the 2020/2021 academic year were gathered. Descriptive analyses of students' initial clinical data (determined by the CCAPS-34) were conducted. Paired sample t-tests determined differences between the pre- and post-therapy scores. The effect size of this difference was derived. Results Students presented with high levels of academic distress, social anxiety, generalised anxiety and depression. The initial severity of mental health concerns was lower than that reported in previous literature. The largest improvements were evidenced for depression and general anxiety and 25% (n = 112) of students achieved reliable reductions in distress. Compared with existing literature, the UCS showed similar levels of improvement over therapy. It is suggested that remote therapy increased service accessibility. Conclusion The delivery of remote therapy produced results consistent with norms in the UK data, highlighting the effectiveness of online therapy for university students. Further large-scale evaluations of student outcomes from remotely delivered therapy are recommended

Associations of close social connections with smoking and vaping: a population study in England

Introduction Studies consistently demonstrate smoking is a socially contagious behaviour, but less is known about the influence of social connections on vaping. This study examined associations between having close social connections who smoke or vape and relevant smoking and vaping outcomes. Methods This was a representative cross-sectional survey of adults (≥16y) in England. Participants (n=1,618) were asked how many people they discuss important matters with (i.e., close social connections) and how many of them smoke/vape. We tested associations between (i) smoking and (ii) vaping among close social connections and participants’ own smoking and vaping status; harm perceptions of e-cigarettes (among current smokers); attempts and success in quitting smoking (among past-year smokers); and use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid (among past-year smokers who tried to quit). Results Adults with ≥1 close social connection who smoke were more likely than those with none to smoke themselves (32.8% vs. 9.4%; ORadj=7.23[95%CI 4.74-11.0]) and had an uncertain lower likelihood to quit (12.2% vs. 19.8%; ORadj=0.46[0.17-1.23]). Those with ≥1 close social connection who vape were more likely than those with none to vape themselves (29.6% vs. 6.3%; ORadj=5.16[3.15-8.43]) and to use e-cigarettes in their most recent attempt to quit (57.0% vs. 27.9%; ORadj=18.0[1.80-181]), and had an uncertain higher likelihood to perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes (30.8% vs. 12.2%; ORadj=2.37[0.82-6.90]). Conclusions In England, we replicated well-established associations with smoking and found similar evidence for vaping. People were much more likely to vape and to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking if they had close social connections who vaped. Implications The cross-sectional design means it is not clear whether smoking/vaping among close social connections influences people to smoke/vape themselves, or whether people who smoke/vape select to form close social connections with others who similarly smoke/vape. Further research is required to establish causality. If the associations we observed are causal, interventions that encourage smokers to switch to vaping may have positive spillover effects on social connections’ perceptions of e-cigarettes and use of these products to support smoking cessation

Designing effective policy to achieve sustainable development impact of FDI: the case of Sub-Saharan Africa

To optimize the sustainable development impact of foreign direct investment (FDI), developing countries must attract FDI that aligns with sustainable development characteristics. This necessitates an understanding of host governments’ expectations and the design of policies tailored to these needs. This study aims to address the gap in international business policy research by assessing FDI policy designs and identifying conditions that influence their effectiveness in attaining sustainable development outcomes. Building on a policy design fit model, we develop propositions related to the coherence of policy goals (goal coherence), the consistency of policy means (mean consistency), and the congruence between goals and means. Using crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis, we evaluate FDI policies in selected Sub-Saharan African countries. Contrary to conventional expectations, our findings reveal that while the combination of goal coherence, mean consistency, and congruence between goals and means is typically considered pertinent for policy design effectiveness, goal coherence alone is sufficient to attain FDI policy design effectiveness in the sampled countries. These results suggest that policymakers should prioritize clear, coherent goals in FDI policies to enhance sustainable development impact, potentially reducing the need for overly complex policy designs. This has implications for the formulation of future FDI strategies in similar contexts

Origin of the Laser-Induced Picosecond Spin Current Across Magnetization Compensation in Ferrimagnetic GdCo

The optical manipulation of magnetism enabled by rare earth-transition metal ferrimagnets holds the promise of ultrafast, energy-efficient spintronic technologies. This work investigates laser-induced picosecond spin currents generated by ferrimagnetic GdCo via terahertz emission spectroscopy. A suppression of the THz emission and spin current is observed at magnetization compensation when varying the temperature or alloy composition in the presence of a magnetic field. It is demonstrated that this is due to the formation of domains in the GdCo equilibrium magnetic configuration. Without an applied magnetic field, the picosecond spin current persists at the compensation point. The experimental findings support the model for THz spin current generation based on the transport of hot spin-polarized electrons, which is dominated by the Co sublattice at room temperature. Only at low temperature a comparable contribution from Gd is detected but with slower dynamics. Finally, spectral analysis reveals a blueshift of the THz emission related to the formation of magnetic domains close to magnetization compensation

Double burden: financial toxicity in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma at the start of first-line palliative chemotherapy: baseline data from the HOLISTIC study

Sarcoma; Quality of life; Financial toxicity; Cost; Employmen