Folkestone futures: an elevated excursion

The town of Folkestone on the south Kent coast in the UK once enjoyed a thriving identity as both seaside resort and gateway to Europe. From the 1960s onwards a gradual decline set in with the advent of mass global travel, culminating in the deathblow that was dealt by the nearby Eurotunnel’s inauguration towards century’s end, which signalled the end of the town’s ferry link to the continental mainland. A concerted attempt has been underway for a decade now to revitalise the town using the arts, creative industries and education as the drivers of regeneration. One of the main initiatives in this endeavour was the introduction in 2008 of the Folkestone Triennial, a three-month summer event in which high-profile international artists were commissioned to produce sited artworks for the town. Focusing on the third triennial in 2014, this article analyses some of the ways in which artists have sought to engage and identify with notions suggested by its title, Lookout. In particular it will outline a curated constellation of artworks – or complex – that implicitly inscribes itself into the townscape and is characterised by installations that are sited in elevated locations, from whose respective vantage points they contemplate what the future holds for Folkestone

Global 8.4-GHz VLBI observations of JVAS B0218+357

In this paper we present new observations of the gravitational lens system JVAS B0218+357 made with a global VLBI network at a frequency of 8.4 GHz. Our maps have an rms noise of 30 microJy/beam and with these we have been able to image much of the extended structure of the radio jet in both the A and B images at high resolution (~1 mas). The main use of these maps will be to enable us to further constrain the lens model for the purposes of H0 determination. We are able to identify several sub-components common to both images with the expected parity reversal, including one which we identify as a counter-jet. We have not been successful in detecting either the core of the lensing galaxy or a third image. Using a model of the lensing galaxy we have back-projected both of the images to the source plane and find that they agree well. However, there are small, but significant, differences which we suggest may arise from multi-path scattering in the ISM of the lensing galaxy. We also find an exponent of the radial mass distribution of approximately 1.04, in agreement with lens modelling of published 15-GHz VLBI data. Polarisation maps of each image are presented which show that the distributions of polarisation across images A and B are different. We suggest that this results from Faraday rotation and associated depolarisation in the lensing galaxy.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Husbandry and herding : a community-based approach to addressing illegal wildlife trade in Northern Botswana

Illegal bushmeat hunting is a major driver of wildlife population declines in Northern Botswana. Such declines raise concerns about the principles and integrity of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and regional economic stability which is heavily reliant on wildlife-based tourism. The KAZA landscape between Northern Botswana’s protected areas consists of non-state land utilized communally by small agropastoralist communities. These communities are economically challenged by international beef trade policies, restricted access to grazing in nearby wildlife management areas and high conflict costs from living in close proximity to wildlife; some of the key factors identified as drivers of bushmeat hunting in the region. Here we describe how a model called Herding for Health (H4H) could address these drivers. We discuss strategies using a socio-economic centered Theory of Change (ToC) model to identify the role agropastoral communities can have in addressing illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The ToC conceptual framework was developed with input from a resource team consisting of scientific and implementation experts in H4H, wildlife conservation, illegal wildlife trade and livelihood development between September and December 2018, and with a validation workshop in March 2019 with government representatives from relevant ministries, NGO’s, community-based organizations and private sector participants. We identify three pathways deriving from the ToC driven by community level actions to address IWT in the region. These include: increasing institutions for local enforcement, developing incentives for ecosystem stewardship and decreasing the costs of living alongside wildlife. The success of these pathways depends on underlying enabling actions: support for the development of institutional frameworks; building community capacity to facilitate informed best farming practices; and strengthening commitments to sustainable resource management to increase resilience to climatic and economic shocks.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-scienceam2022Veterinary Tropical Disease

A radar-based rainfall climatology of Great Britain and Ireland

The Met Office 1km radar-derived precipitation-rate composite over 8 years (2006–2013) is examined to evaluate whether it provides an accurate representation of annual-average precipitation over Great Britain and Ireland over long periods of time. The annual-average precipitation from the radar composite is comparable with gauge measurements, with an average error of +23mmyr−1 over Great Britain and Ireland, +29mmyr−1 (3%) over the United Kingdom and –781mmyr−1 (46%) over the Republic of Ireland. The radar-derived precipitation composite is useful over the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, but not accurate over the Republic of Ireland, particularly in the south

Thinking big, going global: the challenge of BRAC’s global expansion

Since 2002, BRAC, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of Bangladeshi origin, has gone global. It has expanded its programme of ‘microfinance plus’ (education, health, enterprise support, etc) to Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Pakistan. It has established organisations in the UK and the USA to raise funds and its international profile. It is believed to be the largest NGO in Afghanistan, is growing fast elsewhere, and has long been the largest non-governmental entity in Bangladesh. BRAC’s global expansion appears to be part of a trend of the ‘South in the South’, marked by the expansion of Chinese business in Africa, but also, it seems, by new forms of Southern non-governmental organisation transplanted across Southern contexts. This paper explores two challenges of BRAC’s global expansion. The first is the challenges BRAC faces as it seeks to break new ground as the first International NGO of Southern origin to take its programme and managerial expertise to other countries. It is an ambitious agenda. A critical challenge is the need to attract financing and carve out regulatory room for service delivery programmes within new political spaces that are sometimes unfamiliar with and unwelcoming of NGOs on the BRAC scale. The second challenge of the title is the challenge to thinking about NGOs in development: discussions about NGOs in development currently emphasise disappointment with their performance, and a withdrawal, including among aid donors and discourses, from their ‘magic bullet’ heyday of the late 1990s. While BRAC’s global expansion is facing challenges, its ambitious expansionary programme counters disappointment around NGOs, raising new questions about the roles of NGOs in development

The geometry of spontaneous spiking in neuronal networks

The mathematical theory of pattern formation in electrically coupled networks of excitable neurons forced by small noise is presented in this work. Using the Freidlin-Wentzell large deviation theory for randomly perturbed dynamical systems and the elements of the algebraic graph theory, we identify and analyze the main regimes in the network dynamics in terms of the key control parameters: excitability, coupling strength, and network topology. The analysis reveals the geometry of spontaneous dynamics in electrically coupled network. Specifically, we show that the location of the minima of a certain continuous function on the surface of the unit n-cube encodes the most likely activity patterns generated by the network. By studying how the minima of this function evolve under the variation of the coupling strength, we describe the principal transformations in the network dynamics. The minimization problem is also used for the quantitative description of the main dynamical regimes and transitions between them. In particular, for the weak and strong coupling regimes, we present asymptotic formulas for the network activity rate as a function of the coupling strength and the degree of the network. The variational analysis is complemented by the stability analysis of the synchronous state in the strong coupling regime. The stability estimates reveal the contribution of the network connectivity and the properties of the cycle subspace associated with the graph of the network to its synchronization properties. This work is motivated by the experimental and modeling studies of the ensemble of neurons in the Locus Coeruleus, a nucleus in the brainstem involved in the regulation of cognitive performance and behavior

Discs in early-type lensing galaxies: effects on magnification ratios and measurements of H0H_0

Observations of early-type galaxies, both in the local universe and in clusters at medium redshifts, suggest that these galaxies often contain discs or disc-like structures. Using the results of Kelson et al. (2000) for the incidence of disc-components among the galaxies in the redshift z=0.33 cluster CL 1358+62, we investigate the effect of disc structures on the lensing properties of early-type galaxies. Statistical properties, like magnification cross sections and the expected number of quad (four-image) lens systems, are not affected greatly by the inclusion of discs that contain less than about 10 per cent of the total stellar mass. However, the properties of individual lens systems are affected. We estimate that 10-30 per cent of all quad lens systems, with early-type deflector galaxies, would be affected measurably by the presence of disc components. Intriguingly, the image magnification ratios are altered significantly. The amplitude of the predicted change is sufficient to explain the observed magnification ratios in systems like B1422+231 without requiring compact substructure. Furthermore, time delays between images also change; fitting a bulge-only model to early-type lenses that in fact contain a disc would yield a value of the Hubble constant H_0 that is systematically too low by about 25 per cent.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 17 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables. Mainly minor changes to submitted version. Includes a more extended discussion on evidence of discs from light profile

Hemoglobin A1c and Arterial and Ventricular Stiffness in Older Adults

Objective: Arterial and ventricular stiffening are characteristics of diabetes and aging which confer significant morbidity and mortality; advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) are implicated in this stiffening pathophysiology. We examined the association between HbA1c, an AGE, with arterial and ventricular stiffness measures in older individuals without diabetes. Research Design & Methods: Baseline HbA1c was measured in 830 participants free of diabetes defined by fasting glucose or medication use in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a population-based cohort study of adults aged ≥65 years. We performed cross-sectional analyses using baseline exam data including echocardiography, ankle and brachial blood pressure measurement, and carotid ultrasonography. We examined the adjusted associations between HbA1c and multiple arterial and ventricular stiffness measures by linear regression models and compared these results to the association of fasting glucose (FG) with like measures. Results: HbA1c was correlated with fasting and 2-hour postload glucose levels (r = 0.21; p<0.001 for both) and positively associated with greater body-mass index and black race. In adjusted models, HbA1c was not associated with any measure of arterial or ventricular stiffness, including pulse pressure (PP), carotid intima-media thickness, ankle-brachial index, end-arterial elastance, or left ventricular mass (LVM). FG levels were positively associated with systolic, diastolic and PP and LVM. Conclusions: In this sample of older adults without diabetes, HbA1c was not associated with arterial or ventricular stiffness measures, whereas FG levels were. The role of AGE in arterial and ventricular stiffness in older adults may be better assessed using alternate AGE markers

Learning clinical skills in the simulation suite: the lived experiences of student nurses involved in peer teaching and peer assessment

Summary Background The benefits of peer teaching and assessment are well documented within nurse education literature. However, research to date has predominantly focused on the advantages and disadvantages for the inexperienced learner, with a dearth of knowledge relating to the perceptions of senior nursing students involved in teaching their peers. Aim This study sought to investigate the student experience of taking part in a peer teaching and assessment initiative to include the perceptions of both first year nursing students and second/third year participants. Method Data were collected via open-ended questionnaires and analysed with qualitative Framework analysis. Findings This initiative received a generally positive response both from students being taught and also from those acting as facilitators. Perceived benefits included the social learning experience, development of teaching skills, self-awareness and the opportunity to communicate both good and bad news. Suggestions for improvement included additional time working in small groups, specific supplementary learning materials and the introduction of peer teaching and assessment into other areas of the Adult Nursing Programme. Conclusions Peer teaching and assessment principles represent valuable strategies which can be utilised in nurse education to develop clinical skills and prepare nurses for real-life scenarios. Further research needs to investigate how to enhance the student learning experience and to fully exploit the potential for simulated experience to prepare students for their future role as registered nurses in clinical practice

Witnessing the Birth of the Red Sequence: ALMA High-resolution Imaging of [C II] and Dust in Two Interacting Ultra-red Starbursts at z = 4.425

Exploiting the sensitivity and spatial resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we have studied the morphology and the physical scale of the interstellar medium—both gas and dust—in SGP 38326, an unlensed pair of interacting starbursts at z = 4.425. SGP 38326 is the most luminous star bursting system known at z > 4, with a total IR luminosity of L IR ~ 2.5 × 1013 L ⊙ and a star formation rate of ~ 4500 M ⊙ yr−1. SGP 38326 also contains a molecular gas reservoir among the most massive yet found in the early universe, and it is the likely progenitor of a massive, red-and-dead elliptical galaxy at z ~ 3. Probing scales of ~0farcs1 or ~800 pc we find that the smooth distribution of the continuum emission from cool dust grains contrasts with the more irregular morphology of the gas, as traced by the [C ii] fine structure emission. The gas is also extended over larger physical scales than the dust. The velocity information provided by the resolved [C ii] emission reveals that the dynamics of the two interacting components of SGP 38326 are each compatible with disk-like, ordered rotation, but also reveals an ISM which is turbulent and unstable. Our observations support a scenario where at least a subset of the most distant extreme starbursts are highly dissipative mergers of gas-rich galaxies