The relativistic precession of the orbits

The relativistic precession can be quickly inferred from the nonlinear polar orbit equation without actually solving it.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification. Funding: UK Research and Innovation and National Institute for Health Research

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood1. Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom and 233 had fully recovered. Elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation were associated with long COVID. IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12 were associated with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety/depression; MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms and C1QA was elevated in cognitive impairment. Additional markers of alterations in nerve tissue repair (SPON-1 and NFASC) were elevated in those with cognitive impairment and SCG3, suggestive of brain–gut axis disturbance, was elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was persistently elevated in some individuals with long COVID, but virus was not detected in sputum. Analysis of inflammatory markers in nasal fluids showed no association with symptoms. Our study aimed to understand inflammatory processes that underlie long COVID and was not designed for biomarker discovery. Our findings suggest that specific inflammatory pathways related to tissue damage are implicated in subtypes of long COVID, which might be targeted in future therapeutic trials

Reflecting on the human dimensions of wild dolphin tourism in marine environment

Purpose – Many studies report on the potential ecological impacts of wild dolphin tourism, risks to people, and economic benefits to local communities. Fewer studies report the social aspects (human dimensions) of dolphin tourism, such as visitor satisfaction and attitudes of participants. This communication postulates that human dimensions are an important consideration in any strategy to keep wild dolphin tourism operations sustainable by balancing the welfare of the dolphins and the desires and expectations of tourists to interact with these charismatic, iconic creatures. Methodology – This communication synthesizes learning gained from a recent quantitative systematic literature review of marine wildlife tourism, a previously unreported review of wild dolphin tourism literature, and a recent study from the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury, Western Australia. Findings – Human attitudes towards marine mammals ultimately reflect how dolphin tourism is developed and managed. It is therefore important to understand how people experience and perceive dolphin tourism. Wild dolphin tourism is of great value to local economies, tour operators, and visitors who enjoy those experiences. The potential impacts that can arise from dolphin tourism need to be understood and minimised by actions under the control of tour operators and government authorities. This is important to make the satisfaction visitors gain from such experiences worthwhile and to ensure the long-term sustainability of wild dolphin tourism experiences. Originality of the research – Most wild dolphin tourism research has an ecological focus. This communication demonstrates that equally important social research, concerned with understanding visitor awareness, knowledge, expectations, and satisfaction, has a vital role to play in developing best practice management for wild dolphin tourism experiences

Transitioning into the Workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: Understanding the Experiences of Student Diagnostic Radiographers

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic, with associated pressures on healthcare services and workforce, had implications for final year Diagnostic Radiography students completing their training and transitioning into employment. The aim of this study was to explore their experience as novice practitioners starting work and integrating into the workforce during a time of national crisis. METHODS: Five early career Diagnostic Radiographers, eligible to join the temporary HCPC register, were recruited. One to one interviews were completed online exploring their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Participants had the option of using photographs to aid communication. RESULTS: Interviews were transcribed, emerging themes identified and coded. Four main themes emerged specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic, (i) perceived challenges associated with joining the workforce, (ii) managing expectations and unexpected outcomes during transition, (iii) adapting to changes in systems and structures, (iv) sense of uncertainty relating to professional identity. DISCUSSION: The impacts were experienced beyond the work environment into social and personal lives. Participants demonstrated resilience as they adapted to their shifting lives and drew on the support of clinical colleagues and University academics for help. They did report feelings of concern and anxiety. The participants all expressed a sense of feeling valued and supported in their new roles. CONCLUSION: The Pandemic was unprecedented and created uncertainty in terms of workforce requirements. This study highlights the personal impact and professional responses of novice practitioners, who felt a sense of duty and care to help support the NHS and others. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This will help in the understanding of the transition of student into employment and what wider support needs to be in place prior, during and after this phase

POSITRON ANNIHILATION STUDIES IN ALKALI HALIDES

La technique d'annihilation positronique par utilisation de la durée de vie et distribution du momentum (par le spectromètre Ge(Li)) est employée pour étudier seize alkali halides. Les cristaux étaient irradiés par les rayons γ. Un composant additionnel de la durée de vie du positron est attribué à l'annihilation du positron piégé au centre coloré. Pour KCl, l'introduction de trous par refroidissement de cristaux non irradiés a été étudiée par les mêmes techniques, l'énergie du défaut Schottky est égale à 1,8 eV.Positron annihilation in a series of 16 alkali halides has been studied using the techniques of both lifetime and Doppler broadening. The crystals were irradiated with γ-rays in order to introduce colour centres. The systematics of the influence of colour centres on the annihilation of positrons has been observed by focussing our attention on an additional lifetime component attributed to the trapping of positrons in colour centres. For one of the alkali halides (KCl) the introduction of vacancies by thermal quenching of unirradiated crystals has been investigated by the same techniques. This has led to a new interpretation of positrons annihilating in pure alkali halides, and furthermore, yielded a determination of the Schottky formation energy of 1.8 eV

Biological Goal Seeking

Obstacle avoidance is a critical aspect of control for a mobile robot when navigating towards a goal in an unfamiliar environment. Where traditional methods for obstacle avoidance depend heavily on path planning to reach a specific goal location whilst avoiding obstacles, the method proposed uses an adaption of a potential fields algorithm to successfully avoid obstacles whilst the robot is being guided to a non-specific goal location. Details of a generalised finite state machine based control algorithm that enable the robot to pursue a dynamic goal location, whilst avoiding obstacles and without the need for specific path planning, are presented. We have developed a novel potential fields algorithm for obstacle avoidance for use within Robot Operating Software (ROS) and made it available for download within the open source community. We evaluated the control algorithm in a high-speed predator-prey scenario in which the predator could successfully catch the moving prey whilst avoiding collision with all obstacles within the environment