864 research outputs found
An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Autistic Psychiatrists: “If We Can't Recognize Ourselves, How Can We Diagnose Autistic Patients Accurately?”
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island
The introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantified. Here, we report the findings of a detailed study of pterygote insect introductions to Gough Island, one of the most remote and supposedly pristine temperate oceanic islands, and estimate the rate at which introduced species have successfully established.
Out of 99 species recorded from Gough Island, 71 are established introductions, the highest proportion documented for any Southern Ocean island. Estimating a total of approximately 233 landings on Gough Island since first human landfall, this equates to one successful establishment for every three to four landings. Generalizations drawn from other areas suggest that this may be only one-tenth of the number of pterygote species that have arrived at the island, implying that most landings may lead to the arrival of at least one alien. These rates of introduction of new species are estimated to be two to three orders of magnitude greater than background levels for Gough Island, an increase comparable to that estimated for global species extinctions (many of which occur on islands) as a consequence of human activities
Photon rockets and gravitational radiation
The absence of gravitational radiation in Kinnersley's ``photon rocket''
solution of Einstein's equations is clarified by studying the mathematically
well-defined problem of point-like photon rockets in Minkowski space (i.e.
massive particles emitting null fluid anisotro\-pically and accelerating
because of the recoil). We explicitly compute the (uniquely defined) {\it
linearized} retarded gravitational waves emitted by such objects, which are the
coherent superposition of the gravitational waves generated by the motion of
the massive point-like rocket and of those generated by the energy-momentum
distribution of the photon fluid. In the special case (corresponding to
Kinnersley's solution) where the anisotropy of the photon emission is purely
dipolar we find that the gravitational wave amplitude generated by the
energy-momentum of the photons exactly cancels the usual gravitational
wave amplitude generated by the accelerated motion of the rocket. More general
photon anisotropies would, however, generate genuine gravitational radiation at
infinity. Our explicit calculations show the compatibility between the
non-radiative character of Kinnersley's solution and the currently used
gravitational wave generation formalisms based on post-Minkowskian perturbation
theory.Comment: 21 pages, LATEX, submitted to Class. Quant. Gra
Thermal tolerance, climatic variability and latitude
The greater latitudinal extents of occurrence of species towards higher latitudes has been attributed to the broadening of physiological tolerances with latitude as a result of increases in climatic variation. While there is some support for such patterns in climate, the physiological tolerances of species across large latitudinal gradients have seldom been assessed. Here we report findings for insects based on published upper and lower lethal temperature data. The upper thermal limits show little geographical variation. In contrast, the lower bounds of supercooling points and lower lethal temperatures do indeed decline with latitude. However, this is not the case for the upper bounds, leading to an increase in the variation in lower lethal limits with latitude. These results provide some support for the physiological tolerance assumption associated with Rapoport's rule, but highlight the need for coupled data on species tolerances and range size
Barriers to healthcare and a ‘triple empathy problem’ may lead to adverse outcomes for autistic adults: A qualitative study
Autistic people experience more co-occurring health conditions and, on average, die younger than non-autistic
people. Despite growing awareness of health inequities, autistic people still report barriers to accessing healthcare. We aimed to explore the experiences of autistic people accessing healthcare, shining a light on the complex interplay of relevant factors and to explain, at least in part, the possible reasons underling health disparities and adverse health outcomes. This is a qualitative study from an autistic research team. Data were collected from 1248 autistic adults as part of a large, mixed-methods, international survey exploring barriers to primary healthcare. This article reports the qualitative findings, following a thematic analysis. Using our exploratory findings, we then constructed a model to explain the reported experiences. Respondents reported a variety of barriers. Here, our article gives voice to their stories, in their own words. Themes included: early barriers; communication mismatch; doubt – in oneself and from doctors; helplessness and fear; and healthcare avoidance and serious adverse health outcomes. Our constructed model outlines a chronological journey through which healthcare access barriers may lead to adverse health outcomes. Our findings also build on the double empathy problem, situating this in a medical context, proposing a triple empathy problem
What measurable zero point fluctuations can(not) tell us about dark energy
We show that laboratory experiments cannot measure the absolute value of dark
energy. All known experiments rely on electromagnetic interactions. They are
thus insensitive to particles and fields that interact only weakly with
ordinary matter. In addition, Josephson junction experiments only measure
differences in vacuum energy similar to Casimir force measurements. Gravity,
however, couples to the absolute value. Finally we note that Casimir force
measurements have tested zero point fluctuations up to energies of ~10 eV, well
above the dark energy scale of ~0.01 eV. Hence, the proposed cut-off in the
fluctuation spectrum is ruled out experimentally.Comment: 4 page
Energy, species richness, and human population size: conservation implications at a national scale
Afshar's Experiment does not show a Violation of Complementarity
A recent experiment performed by S. Afshar [first reported by M. Chown, New
Scientist {\bf 183}, 30 (2004)] is analyzed. It was claimed that this
experiment could be interpreted as a demonstration of a violation of the
principle of complementarity in quantum mechanics. Instead, it is shown here
that it can be understood in terms of classical wave optics and the standard
interpretation of quantum mechanics. Its performance is quantified and it is
concluded that the experiment is suboptimal in the sense that it does not fully
exhaust the limits imposed by quantum mechanics.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Schools, religion, and affect: unpacking Australian educator discomfort
Published online: 24 Apr 2023.
OnlinePublReligious bigotry, including incidents of discrimination and violence based on religion, continues to rise across Australia. Religion is consequently considered a destabilising factor in Australia’s commitment to diversity. But does Australia’s religious diversity pose a threat to social cohesion or an opportunity? In Australia’s public schools, despite significant curricular and pedagogical advances in the areas of equity and inclusion, it remains unclear how and to what extent educators support the diverse religious identities of learners. Informed by an affective-discursive analytic, this study unpacks a series of emotional encounters at one primary public school in Sydney that serves a community where most families selfidentify with a religion. Educators were invited to discuss how their school responds to religious diversity. This article explores the discomforting affects that entangle liberal humanist commitments to freedoms and secular schooling that emerged in focus groups. The article argues that emotional responses to learners’ religious diversity, particularly of fear or apprehension, speak to a broader national teacher education context in which how religious and secular beliefs and knowledges should come into conversation remains unsettled. If Australian teacher education is to prepare educators for social cohesion, how can learners’ religious identities be genuinely included in curriculum and pedagogy?Nadeem Memon, Samantha Schulz, Stephen Kelly and Dylan Chow
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