FRB 20121102A: images of the bursts and the varying radio counterpart

As more Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are being localised, we are learning that some fraction have persistent radio sources (PRSs). Such a discovery motivates an improvement in our understanding of the nature of those counterparts, the relation to the bursts themselves and why only some FRBs have PRSs. We report on observations made of FRB 20121102A with the MeerKAT radio telescope. Across five epochs, we detect the PRS associated with FRB 20121102A. Our observations are split into a cluster of four epochs (MJD 58732 - 58764) and a separate single epoch about 1000days later. The measured flux density is constant across the first four observations but then decays by more than one-third in the final observation. Our observations on MJD 58736 coincided with the detections of 11 bursts from FRB 20121102A by the MeerTRAP backend, seven of which we detected in the image plane. We discuss the importance of image plane detections when considering the commensal transient searches being performed with MeerKAT and other radio facilities. We find that MeerKAT is so sensitive that within a two-second image, we can detect any FRB with a flux density above 2.4mJy at 1.3GHz and so could localise every FRB that has been detected by CHIME to date.Comment: Accepted in MNRA

Self-reported testing and treatment histories among older Australian men and women who may be at risk of a sexually transmissible infection

Background: Rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) are increasing among older adults in many countries. Little is known about the testing and treatment histories of these populations. Correlates of testing in the past 5 years among older adults who may be at risk of a STI were examined. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 2137 Australians aged 60+ years that involved questions on STIs and STI testing was conducted in 2015. To help inform potential education campaigns, analyses focused on those who may have been at risk of a STI (n = 805, 38%). Results: Less than one in three reported a STI test in the past 5 years (n = 241, 30%) while 6% (n = 51) reported a STI diagnosis. Those diagnosed typically received treatment from a family doctor or general practitioner. Among men, lower testing rates were associated with older age, identifying as heterosexual, lower educational attainment, not using online dating and reporting one partner in the past 5 years. For women, lower rates of testing were found among those who did not use a condom at their most recent sexual encounter and those with one partner in the past 5 years. Conclusions: STI testing rates were low. This study indicates that consideration should be given to the way targeted education campaigns are formulated, such as emphasising the importance of STI testing to older people who are at risk, as well as encouraging healthcare professionals to discuss sexual health with their older patients

Safer sex in later life: Qualitative interviews with older Australians on their understandings and practices of safer sex

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasing in older cohorts in Western countries such as Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., suggesting a need to examine the safer sex knowledge and practices of older people. This article presents findings from 53 qualitative interviews from the study “Sex, Age & Me: a National Study of Sex and Relationships Among Australians aged 60+.” Participants were recruited through an online national survey. We consider how participants understood “safer sex,” the importance of safer sex to them, the safer sex practices they used (and the contexts in which they used them), and the barriers to using safer sex. Older adults had diverse understandings, knowledge, and use of safer sex practices, although participants tended to focus most strongly on condom use. Having safer sex was strongly mediated by relationship context, trust, perceived risk of contracting an STI, concern for personal health, and stigma. Common barriers to safer sex included erectile difficulties, embarrassment, stigma, reduced pleasure, and the lack of a safer sex culture among older people. The data presented has important implications for sexual health policy, practice, and education and health promotion campaigns aimed at improving the sexual health and wellbeing of older cohorts

The Importance of Sex and the Meaning of Sex and Sexual Pleasure for Men Aged 60 and Older Who Engage in Heterosexual Relationships: Findings from a Qualitative Interview Study

That many older individuals continue to engage in various forms of sexual expression well into later life is now well established in the literature. To date, however, only a small body of qualitative research has examined older men’s experiences and understandings of sex in later life. Likewise, the ways in which older men’s discussions on sex may be used as an avenue for “doing” masculinity remain underexplored. Older men are particularly interesting in this regard, as they inhabit an increasingly subordinated position in relation to hegemonic masculine ideals because of their age. To what extent might this limit or, alternatively, open up the possibilities for sexual expression and subjectivity in later life? Drawing on a subset of findings from Sex, Age, and Me: A National Study with Australian Women and Men Aged 60 and Older, data from qualitative interviews with 27 Australian men were explored in this article. The first Australian study of its kind, we argue that older men who engage in heterosexual relationships draw on a diverse and complex array of discursive positions regarding sex, relationships, and masculinity in making sense of their experiences of sex in later life. Older men are a heterogeneous group, and their experiences and understandings of sex do not simplistically follow “decline” or “success” narratives of aging. The findings of this research build upon and extend emerging research illustrating the centrality of intimacy to older men’s sexual lives, while simultaneously highlighting the ways in which the body and discursive constructions of sex intersect to shape older men’s sexual subjectivities

Sexually active older Australian's knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and safer sexual practices.

OBJECTIVE: Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising among older Australians. We conducted a large survey of older people's knowledge of STIs and safer sexual practices. METHODS: A total of 2,137 Australians aged 60 years and older completed the survey, which included 15 questions assessing knowledge of STIs and safer sexual practices. We examined both levels of knowledge and factors associated with an overall knowledge score. RESULTS: In total, 1,652 respondents reported having sex in the past five years and answered all knowledge questions. This group had good general knowledge but poorer knowledge in areas such as the protection offered by condoms and potential transmission modes for specific STIs. Women had better knowledge than men. Men in their 60s, men with higher education levels, and men who thought they were at risk of STIs reported better knowledge than other men. Knowledge was also better among men and women who had been tested for STIs or reported 'other' sources of knowledge on STIs. CONCLUSIONS: Many older Australians lack knowledge of STIs and safer sexual practices. Implications for public health: To reverse current trends toward increasing STI diagnoses in this population, policies and education campaigns aimed at improving knowledge levels may need to be considered

Book Reviews

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Learning about sex in later life: sources of education and older Australian adults

This paper examines the preferred sexuality education sources of older Australian adults in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 years and older, we consider the sources that participants currently use, or would like to use, in seeking information about sex. Where relevant, we examine participants’ experiences of learning about sex in later life using different sources, and the impact these had on their sexual expression, pleasure and well-being. Preferred sources of information include the Internet, the media, health care providers, books and workshops or discussion groups. A substantial number of participants did not actively seek information on sex. For those who had, these educational endeavours could profoundly shape their sexual practices. As such, learning about sex should be viewed as a lifelong endeavour. Our findings carry important implications for the development and delivery of sexuality education for older adults

Field sources near the southern-sky calibrator PKS B1934-638: effect on spectral line observations with SKA-MID and its precursors

Accurate instrumental bandpass corrections are essential for the reliable interpretation of spectral lines from targeted and survey-mode observations with radio interferometers. Bandpass correction is typically performed by comparing measurements of a strong calibrator source to an assumed model, typically an isolated point source. The wide field-of-view and high sensitivity of modern interferometers means that additional sources are often detected in observations of calibrators. This can introduce errors into bandpass corrections and subsequently the target data if not properly accounted for. Focusing on the standard calibrator PKS B1934-638, we perform simulations to asses this effect by constructing a wide-field sky model. The cases of ASKAP (0.7-1.9 GHz), MeerKAT (UHF: 0.58-1.05 GHz; L-band: 0.87-1.67 GHz) and Band 2 (0.95-1.76 GHz) of SKA-MID are examined. The use of a central point source model during bandpass calibration is found to impart amplitude errors into spectra measured by the precursor instruments at the ~0.2-0.5% level dropping to ~0.01% in the case of SKA-MID. This manifests itself as ripples in the source spectrum, the behaviour of which is coupled to the distribution of the array baselines, the solution interval, the primary beam size, the hour-angle of the calibration scan, as well as the weights used when imaging the target. Calibration pipelines should routinely employ complete field models for standard calibrators to remove this potentially destructive contaminant from the data, a recommendation we validate by comparing our simulation results to a MeerKAT scan of PKS B1934-638, calibrated with and without our expanded sky model.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The Curious Case of the “Heartworm” Nebula

© 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The curious Galactic features near G357.2−0.2 were observed with the MeerKAT radio interferometer array in the UHF and L bands (0.56–1.68 GHz). There are two possibly related features: a newly identified faint heart-shaped partial shell (the “heart”), and a series of previously known but now much better imaged narrow, curved features (the “worm”) interior to the heart. Polarized emission suggests that much of the emission is nonthermal and is embedded in a dense plasma. The filaments of the worm appear to be magnetic structures powered by embedded knots that are sites of particle acceleration. The morphology of the worm broadly resembles some known pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) but there is no known pulsar or PWN which could be powering this structure. We also present eROSITA observations of the field; no part of the nebula is detected in X-rays, but the current limits do not preclude the existence of a pulsar/PWN of intermediate spin-down luminosity.Peer reviewe

Sexual satisfaction among older Australian heterosexual men and women: Findings from the Sex, Age & Me study

This study explored sexual satisfaction in older heterosexual Australians using data from a national sample of 1,583 men and women aged 60+ who hoped or planned to have sex in the future. Data collection took place in 2015; participants were recruited using a variety of online and offline advertisements. Less than half the sample (46%) reported they were very or extremely satisfied with their sexual lives. Those who had sex more often and were more interested in sex were more likely to be satisfied, while those who wanted sex more often in the future were less likely to be satisfied, as were men who had experienced sexual difficulties. Sexual satisfaction was also associated with life satisfaction in men and positive mental health in women. Factors associated with satisfaction in this study will help guide strategies to support older people realise the sexual lives they desire or aspire to