695 research outputs found
'I don't think I ever had food poisoning' : A practice-based approach to understanding foodborne disease that originates in the home
© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).Food stored, prepared, cooked and eaten at home contributes to foodborne disease which, globally, presents a significant public health burden. The aim of the study reported here was to investigate, analyse and interpret domestic kitchen practices in order to provide fresh insight about how the domestic setting might influence food safety. Using current theories of practice meant the research, which drew on qualitative and ethnographic methods, could investigate people and material things in the domestic kitchen setting whilst taking account of people's actions, values, experiences and beliefs. Data from 20 UK households revealed the extent to which kitchens are used for a range of nonfood related activities and the ways that foodwork extends beyond the boundaries of the kitchen. The youngest children, the oldest adults and the family pets all had agency in the kitchen, which has implications for preventing foodborne disease. What was observed, filmed and photographed was not a single practice but a series of entangled encounters and actions embedded and repeated, often inconsistently, by the individuals involved. Households derived logics and principles about foodwork that represented rules of thumb about 'how things are done' that included using the senses and experiential knowledge when judging whether food is safe to eat. Overall, food safety was subsumed within the practice of 'being' a household and living everyday life in the kitchen. Current theories of practice are an effective way of understanding foodborne disease and offer a novel approach to exploring food safety in the home.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
C-Band All-Sky Survey: A First Look at the Galaxy
We present an analysis of the diffuse emission at 5 GHz in the first quadrant
of the Galactic plane using two months of preliminary intensity data taken with
the C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) northern instrument at the Owens Valley
Radio Observatory, California. Combining C-BASS maps with ancillary data to
make temperature-temperature plots we find synchrotron spectral indices of
between 0.408 GHz and 5 GHz and between 1.420 GHz and 5 GHz for ,
. Through the subtraction of a radio recombination
line (RRL) free-free template we determine the synchrotron spectral index in
the Galactic plane () to be between
0.408 GHz and 5 GHz, with a contribution of per cent from free-free
emission at 5\,GHz. These results are consistent with previous low frequency
measurements in the Galactic plane. By including C-BASS data in spectral fits
we demonstrate the presence of anomalous microwave emission (AME) associated
with the HII complexes W43, W44 and W47 near 30 GHz, at 4.4 sigma, 3.1 sigma
and 2.5 sigma respectively. The CORNISH VLA 5 GHz source catalogue rules out
the possibility that the excess emission detected around 30\;GHz may be due to
ultra-compact HII regions. Diffuse AME was also identified at a 4 sigma level
within , between 5
GHz and 22.8 GHz.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS, referee's corrections made,
awaiting for final approval for publicatio
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): Constraining diffuse Galactic radio emission in the North Celestial Pole region
The C-Band All-Sky Survey C-BASS is a high-sensitivity all-sky radio survey
at an angular resolution of 45 arcmin and a frequency of 4.7 GHz. We present a
total intensity 4.7 GHz map of the North Celestial Pole (NCP) region of sky,
above declination +80 deg, which is limited by source confusion at a level of
~0.6 mK rms. We apply the template-fitting (cross-correlation) technique to
WMAP and Planck data, using the C-BASS map as the synchrotron template, to
investigate the contribution of diffuse foreground emission at frequencies
~20-40 GHz. We quantify the anomalous microwave emission (AME) that is
correlated with far-infrared dust emission. The AME amplitude does not change
significantly (<10%) when using the higher frequency C-BASS 4.7 GHz template
instead of the traditional Haslam 408 MHz map as a tracer of synchrotron
radiation. We measure template coefficients of and
K per unit when using the Haslam and C-BASS synchrotron templates,
respectively. The AME contributes K rms at 22.8 GHz and accounts
for ~60% of the total foreground emission. Our results suggest that a harder
(flatter spectrum) component of synchrotron emission is not dominant at
frequencies >5 GHz; the best-fitting synchrotron temperature spectral index is
from 4.7 to 22.8 GHz and from 22.8 to
44.1 GHz. Free-free emission is weak, contributing ~K rms (~7%) at 22.8
GHz. The best explanation for the AME is still electric dipole emission from
small spinning dust grains.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version matches version accepted by MNRA
A VSA search for the extended Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in the Corona Borealis Supercluster
We present interferometric imaging at 33 GHz of the Corona Borealis
supercluster, using the extended configuration of the Very Small Array. A total
area of 24 deg^2 has been imaged, with an angular resolution of 11 arcmin and a
sensitivity of 12 mJy/beam. The aim of these observations is to search for
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) detections from known clusters of galaxies in this
supercluster and for a possible extended SZ decrement due to diffuse warm/hot
gas in the intercluster medium. We measure negative flux values in the
positions of the ten richest clusters in the region. Collectively, this implies
a 3.0-sigma detection of the SZ effect. In the clusters A2061 and A2065 we find
decrements of approximately 2-sigma. Our main result is the detection of two
strong and resolved negative features at -70+-12 mJy/beam (-157+-27 microK) and
-103+-10 mJy/beam (-230+-23 microK), respectively, located in a region with no
known clusters, near the centre of the supercluster. We discuss their possible
origins in terms of primordial CMB anisotropies and/or SZ signals related to
either unknown clusters or to a diffuse extended warm/hot gas distribution. Our
analyses have revealed that a primordial CMB fluctuation is a plausible
explanation for the weaker feature (probability of 37.82%). For the stronger
one, neither primordial CMB (probability of 0.33%) nor SZ can account alone for
its size and total intensity. The most reasonable explanation, then, is a
combination of both primordial CMB and SZ signal. Finally, we explore what
characteristics would be required for a filamentary structure consisting of
warm/hot diffuse gas in order to produce a significant contribution to such a
spot taking into account the constraints set by X-ray data.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures. Accepted in MNRA
Integrating drones into NHS patient diagnostic logistics systems: Flight or fantasy?
Healthcare accounts for approximately 5% of emissions in developed nations, and the public healthcare provider in the United Kingdom (UK), the National Health Service (NHS), has set a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 without detriment to its quality of patient care. With Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs; a.k.a. drones, UAS, or RPAS) starting to be used in healthcare systems outside the UK, there is interest in how they could be integrated into NHS operations to transport diagnostic specimens. Reflecting on a business-as-usual analysis of current NHS diagnostic specimen logistics across the Solent region (southern UK), this paper critically evaluates the practical reality of integrating UAV deliveries of this commodity, identifying the benefits and challenges that must be addressed to realise commercial services, including dangerous goods legislation, cargo stability, routing, and weather. In the analysis, 14 out of 79 surgeries could be realistically served by a 5m wingspan vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) UAV: seven directly, and seven via ground-based transfers. The results suggested that an average of 1,628 samples could be served by UAV each week, resulting in 42 flights/week with 10 taxi services to cover periods where weather limited flying. This equated to an approximate total service cost of £2,964/week if regulations develop to relax UAV personnel constraints. The introduction of UAVs reduced the marginal external costs (greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and air pollution) by £196 per week and cut travel times to UAV served sites by 72% (weather permitting). Tailpipe emissions (excl. taxis), vehicle-kilometres travelled, and van costs were reduced by 20%, 20%, and 23% (respectively), but the overall system cost increased by 56%. Whilst this increase is likely to make the introduction of UAV services financially challenging, the benefits in terms of emissions and journey time savings may offset some of the additional cost and warrant further investigation
Measurement of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> within living drosophila during aging using a ratiometric mass spectrometry probe targeted to the mitochondrial matrix
Hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) is central to mitochondrial oxidative damage and redox signaling, but its roles are poorly understood due to the difficulty of measuring mitochondrial H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in vivo. Here we report a ratiometric mass spectrometry probe approach to assess mitochondrial matrix H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> levels in vivo. The probe, MitoB, comprises a triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cation driving its accumulation within mitochondria, conjugated to an arylboronic acid that reacts with H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to form a phenol, MitoP. Quantifying the MitoP/MitoB ratio by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry enabled measurement of a weighted average of mitochondrial H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> that predominantly reports on thoracic muscle mitochondria within living flies. There was an increase in mitochondrial H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> with age in flies, which was not coordinately altered by interventions that modulated life span. Our findings provide approaches to investigate mitochondrial ROS in vivo and suggest that while an increase in overall mitochondrial H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> correlates with aging, it may not be causative
First results from the Very Small Array -- I. Observational methods
The Very Small Array (VSA) is a synthesis telescope designed to image faint
structures in the cosmic microwave background on degree and sub-degree angular
scales. The VSA has key differences from other CMB interferometers with the
result that different systematic errors are expected. We have tested the
operation of the VSA with a variety of blank-field and calibrator observations
and cross-checked its calibration scale against independent measurements. We
find that systematic effects can be suppressed below the thermal noise level in
long observations; the overall calibration accuracy of the flux density scale
is 3.5 percent and is limited by the external absolute calibration scale.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, MNRAS in press (Minor revisions
Pathways to unsegregated sharing of airspace: views of the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry
The uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) industry is expanding, offering services such as video/photography, inspection, monitoring, surveying, and logistics. This is leading to competing demands for airspace with existing crewed aircraft activities, especially in uncontrolled airspace. As a result, there is an increasingly urgent need for a shared airspace solution that enables drones to be integrated with the wider aviation community in unsegregated operations. The purpose of this research was to engage with the drone industry to understand their issues regarding shared airspace as an important first step in the co-development of operating procedures that can provide equitable airspace access for all. An online, interactive workshop format was employed, with participants (n ~ 80) drawn from the UK drone industry and other attendant organisations. Verbal and written data were recorded, and then analysed using thematic analysis. The findings summarise the issues on a range of topics, grouped into three over-arching themes: (1) operational environment; (2) technical and regulatory environment; and (3) equity and wider society. Results suggested that important issues included the necessity for a dependable detect-and-avoid (DAA) system for in-flight de-confliction, based on onboard electronic conspicuity (EC) devices, and the need for support for shared airspace from the wider aviation community. This study contributes to the stakeholder engagement that will be essential if the co-development of a shared airspace solution is to be widely acceptable to all
Estimating the bispectrum of the Very Small Array data
We estimate the bispectrum of the Very Small Array data from the compact and
extended configuration observations released in December 2002, and compare our
results to those obtained from Gaussian simulations. There is a slight excess
of large bispectrum values for two individual fields, but this does not appear
when the fields are combined. Given our expected level of residual point
sources, we do not expect these to be the source of the discrepancy. Using the
compact configuration data, we put an upper limit of 5400 on the value of f_NL,
the non-linear coupling parameter, at 95 per cent confidence. We test our
bispectrum estimator using non-Gaussian simulations with a known bispectrum,
and recover the input values.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, replaced with version accepted by MNRAS.
Primordial bispectrum recalculated and figure 11 change
Cosmological parameter estimation using Very Small Array data out to l=1500
We estimate cosmological parameters using data obtained by the Very Small
Array (VSA) in its extended configuration, in conjunction with a variety of
other CMB data and external priors. Within the flat CDM model, we find
that the inclusion of high resolution data from the VSA modifies the limits on
the cosmological parameters as compared to those suggested by WMAP alone, while
still remaining compatible with their estimates. We find that , , , , and
for WMAP and VSA when no external prior is
included.On extending the model to include a running spectral index of density
fluctuations, we find that the inclusion of VSA data leads to a negative
running at a level of more than 95% confidence (),
something which is not significantly changed by the inclusion of a stringent
prior on the Hubble constant. Inclusion of prior information from the 2dF
galaxy redshift survey reduces the significance of the result by constraining
the value of . We discuss the veracity of this result in the
context of various systematic effects and also a broken spectral index model.
We also constrain the fraction of neutrinos and find that at
95% confidence which corresponds to when all neutrino
masses are the equal. Finally, we consider the global best fit within a general
cosmological model with 12 parameters and find consistency with other analyses
available in the literature. The evidence for is only marginal
within this model
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