925 research outputs found
Seeing motion and apparent motion
In apparent motion experiments, participants are presented with what is in fact a succession of two brief stationary stimuli at two different locations, but they report an impression of movement. Philosophers have recently debated whether apparent motion provides evidence in favour of a particular account of the nature of temporal experience. I argue that the existing discussion in this area is premised on a mistaken view of the phenomenology of apparent motion and, as a result, the space of possible philosophical positions has not yet been fully explored. In particular, I argue that the existence of apparent motion is compatible with an account of the nature of temporal experience that involves a version of direct realism. In doing so, I also argue against two other claims often made about apparent motion, viz. that apparent motion is the psychological phenomenon that underlies motion experience in the cinema, and that apparent motion is subjectively indistinguishable from real motion
‘Not one of the family’: Gender and precarious work in the neoliberal university
Gender inequality within the university is well documented but proposals to tackle it tend to focus on the higher ranks, ignoring how it manifests within precarious work. Based on data collected as part of a broader participatory action research project on casual academic labour in Irish higher education, the article focuses on the intersection of precarious work and gender in academia. We argue that precarious female academics are non-citizens of the academy, a status that is reproduced through exploitative gendered practices and evident in formal/legal recognition (staff status, rights and entitlements, pay and valuing of work) as well as in informal dimensions (social and decision-making power). We, therefore, conclude that any attempts to challenge gender inequality in academia must look downward, not upward, to the ranks of the precarious academics.</p
A Full-Potential-Linearized-Augmented-Plane-Wave Electronic Structure Study of delta-Plutonium and the (001) Surface
The electronic and geometric properties of bulk fcc delta-plutonium and the
quantum size effects in the surface energies and the work functions of the
(001) ultra thin films (UTF) up to 7 layers have been investigated with
periodic density functional theory calculations within the full-potential
linearized augmented-plane wave (FP-LAPW) approach as implemented in the WIEN2k
package. Our calculated equilibrium atomic volume of 178.3 a.u.^3 and bulk
modulus of 24.9 GPa at the fully relativistic level of theory, i.e.
spin-polarization and spin-orbit coupling included, are in good agreement with
the experimental values of 168.2 a.u.^3 and 25 GPa (593 K), respectively. The
calculated equilibrium lattice constants at different levels of approximation
are used in the surface properties calculations for the thin films. The surface
energy is found to be rapidly converged with the semi-infinite surface energy
predicted to be 0.692eV at the fully-relativistic level.Comment: 27 pages,8 figure
Fermi Surface of The One-dimensional Kondo Lattice Model
We show a strong indication of the existence of a large Fermi surface in the
one-dimensional Kondo lattice model. The characteristic wave vector of the
model is found to be , being the density of the
conduction electrons. This result is at first obtained for a variant of the
model that includes an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction between
the local moments. It is then directly observed in the conventional Kondo
lattice , in the narrow range of Kondo couplings where the long
distance properties of the model are numerically accessible.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Experimental electronic heat capacities of and Plutonium; heavy-fermion physics in an element
We have measured the heat capacities of PuAl and
Pu over the temperature range 2-303 K. The availability of data below
10 K plus an estimate of the phonon contribution to the heat capacity based on
recent neutron-scattering experiments on the same sample enable us to make a
reliable deduction of the electronic contribution to the heat capacity of
PuAl; we find
mJKmol as . This is a factor larger than that
of any element, and large enough for PuAl to be
classed as a heavy-fermion system. By contrast,
mJKmol in Pu. Two distinct anomalies are seen in the
electronic contribution to the heat capacity of
PuAl, one or both of which may be associated with
the formation of the martensitic phase. We suggest that the large
-value of PuAl may be caused by proximity to
a quantum-critical point.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Comparison of breast and bowel cancer screening uptake patterns in a common cohort of South Asian women in England
Background: Inequalities in uptake of cancer screening by ethnic minority populations are well documented in a
number of international studies. However, most studies to date have explored screening uptake for a single cancer
only. This paper compares breast and bowel cancer screening uptake for a cohort of South Asian women invited to
undertake both, and similarly investigates these women's breast cancer screening behaviour over a period of fifteen
years.
Methods: Screening data for rounds 1, 2 and 5 (1989-2004) of the NHS breast cancer screening programme and for
round 1 of the NHS bowel screening pilot (2000-2002) were obtained for women aged 50-69 resident in the English
bowel screening pilot site, Coventry and Warwickshire, who had been invited to undertake breast and bowel cancer
screening in the period 2000-2002. Breast and bowel cancer screening uptake levels were calculated and compared
using the chi-squared test.
Results: 72,566 women were invited to breast and bowel cancer screening after exclusions. Of these, 3,539 were South
Asian and 69,027 non-Asian; 18,730 had been invited to mammography over the previous fifteen years (rounds 1 to 5).
South Asian women were significantly less likely to undertake both breast and bowel cancer screening; 29.9% (n =
1,057) compared to 59.4% (n = 40,969) for non-Asians (p < 0.001). Women in both groups who consistently chose to
undertake breast cancer screening in rounds 1, 2 and 5 were more likely to complete round 1 bowel cancer screening.
However, the likelihood of completion of bowel cancer screening was still significantly lower for South Asians; 49.5% vs.
82.3% for non-Asians, p < 0.001. South Asian women who undertook breast cancer screening in only one round were
no more likely to complete bowel cancer screening than those who decided against breast cancer screening in all
three rounds. In contrast, similar women in the non-Asian population had an increased likelihood of completing the
new bowel cancer screening test. The likelihood of continued uptake of mammography after undertaking screening in
round 1 differed between South Asian religio-linguistic groups. Noticeably, women in the Muslim population were less
likely to continue to participate in mammography than those in other South Asian groups.
Conclusions: Culturally appropriate targeted interventions are required to reduce observed disparities in cancer
screening uptakes
An ab initio full potential fully relativistic study of atomic carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen chemisorption on the (111) surface of delta-plutonium
Adsorption of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen on the (111) surface of
delta-Plutonium has been studied within the framework of density functional
theory using the full-potential linear augmented plane wave plus local basis
(FP-LAPW+lo) method. All adatoms prefer to bind at the higher coordinated
hollow sites, with the chemisorption energies for C, N, and O being 6.539 eV,
6.714 eV, and 8.2 eV respectively. The work function and the surface Pu
magnetic moments respectively increased and decreased in all cases upon
chemisorption. The partial charges inside the muffin tins spheres, difference
charge density distributions, and the local density of states have been used to
analyze the Pu-adatom bond interactions.Comment: 40 double spaced pages, 6 tables, 6 figure
Macrophage-derived human resistin is induced in multiple helminth infections and promotes inflammatory monocytes and increased parasite burden.
Parasitic helminth infections can be associated with lifelong morbidity such as immune-mediated organ failure. A better understanding of the host immune response to helminths could provide new avenues to promote parasite clearance and/or alleviate infection-associated morbidity. Murine resistin-like molecules (RELM) exhibit pleiotropic functions following helminth infection including modulating the host immune response; however, the relevance of human RELM proteins in helminth infection is unknown. To examine the function of human resistin (hResistin), we utilized transgenic mice expressing the human resistin gene (hRetnTg+). Following infection with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), hResistin expression was significantly upregulated in infected tissue. Compared to control hRetnTg- mice, hRetnTg+ mice suffered from exacerbated Nb-induced inflammation characterized by weight loss and increased infiltration of inflammatory monocytes in the lung, along with elevated Nb egg burdens and delayed parasite expulsion. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the infected tissue revealed that hResistin promoted expression of proinflammatory cytokines and genes downstream of toll-like receptor signaling. Moreover, hResistin preferentially bound lung monocytes, and exogenous treatment of mice with recombinant hResistin promoted monocyte recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine expression. In human studies, increased serum resistin was associated with higher parasite load in individuals infected with soil-transmitted helminths or filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, and was positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokines. Together, these studies identify human resistin as a detrimental factor induced by multiple helminth infections, where it promotes proinflammatory cytokines and impedes parasite clearance. Targeting the resistin/proinflammatory cytokine immune axis may provide new diagnostic or treatment strategies for helminth infection and associated immune-mediated pathology
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