Electrical conductivity of dispersions: from dry foams to dilute suspensions

We present new data for the electrical conductivity of foams in which the liquid fraction ranges from two to eighty percent. We compare with a comprehensive collection of prior data, and we model all results with simple empirical formul\ae. We achieve a unified description that applies equally to dry foams and emulsions, where the droplets are highly compressed, as well as to dilute suspensions of spherical particles, where the particle separation is large. In the former limit, Lemlich's result is recovered; in the latter limit, Maxwell's result is recovered

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)

[in “State of the Climate in 2014” : Special Supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 96, No. 7, July 2015

Neoliberalisation and 'lad cultures' in higher education

This paper links HE neoliberalisation and ‘lad cultures’, drawing on interviews and focus groups with women students. We argue that retro-sexist ‘laddish’ forms of masculine competitiveness and misogyny have been reshaped by neoliberal rationalities to become modes of consumerist sexualised audit. We also suggest that neoliberal frameworks scaffold an individualistic and adversarial culture among young people that interacts with perceived threats to men’s privilege and intensifies attempts to put women in their place through misogyny and sexual harassment. Furthermore, ‘lad cultures’, sexism and sexual harassment in higher education may be invisibilised by institutions to preserve marketability in a neoliberal context. In response, we ask if we might foster dialogue and partnership between feminist and anti-marketisation politics

Freshwater distributions and water mass structure in the Amundsen Sea Polynya region, Antarctica

We present the first densely-sampled hydrographic survey of the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) region, including a detailed characterization of its freshwater distributions. Multiple components contribute to the freshwater budget, including precipitation, sea ice melt, basal ice shelf melt, and iceberg melt, from local and non-local sources. We used stable oxygen isotope ratios in seawater (δ18O) to distinguish quantitatively the contributions from sea ice and meteoric-derived sources. Meteoric fractions were high throughout the winter mixed layer (WML), with maximum values of 2–3% (±0.5%). Because the ASP region is characterized by deep WMLs, column inventories of total meteoric water were also high, ranging from 10–13 m (±2 m) adjacent to the Dotson Ice Shelf (DIS) and in the deep trough to 7–9 m (±2 m) in shallower areas. These inventories are at least twice those reported for continental shelf waters near the western Antarctic Peninsula. Sea ice melt fractions were mostly negative, indicating net (annual) sea ice formation, consistent with this area being an active polynya. Independently determined fractions of subsurface glacial meltwater (as one component of the total meteoric inventory) had maximum values of 1–2% (±0.5%), with highest and shallowest maximum values at the DIS outflow (80–90 m) and in iceberg-stirred waters (150–200 m). In addition to these upwelling sites, contributions of subsurface glacial meltwater could be traced at depth along the ~ 27.6 isopycnal, from which it mixes into the WML through various processes. Our results suggest a quasi-continuous supply of melt-laden iron-enriched seawater to the euphotic zone of the ASP and help to explain why the ASP is Antarctica’s most biologically productive polynya per unit area

An approach to melodic segmentation and classification based on filtering with the Haar wavelet

We present a novel method of classification and segmentation of melodies in symbolic representation. The method is based on filtering pitch as a signal over time with the Haar-wavelet, and we evaluate it on two tasks. The filtered signal corresponds to a single-scale signal ws from the continuous Haar wavelet transform. The melodies are first segmented using local maxima or zero-crossings of ws. The segments of ws are then classified using the k–nearest neighbour algorithm with Euclidian and city-block distances. The method proves more effective than using unfiltered pitch signals and Gestalt-based segmentation when used to recognize the parent works of segments from Bach’s Two-Part Inventions (BWV 772–786). When used to classify 360 Dutch folk tunes into 26 tune families, the performance of the method is comparable to the use of pitch signals, but not as good as that of string-matching methods based on multiple features

The read-across hypothesis and environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 American Chemical Society.Pharmaceuticals in the environment have received increased attention over the past decade, as they are ubiquitous in rivers and waterways. Concentrations are in sub-ng to low μg/L, well below acute toxic levels, but there are uncertainties regarding the effects of chronic exposures and there is a need to prioritise which pharmaceuticals may be of concern. The read-across hypothesis stipulates that a drug will have an effect in non-target organisms only if the molecular targets such as receptors and enzymes have been conserved, resulting in a (specific) pharmacological effect only if plasma concentrations are similar to human therapeutic concentrations. If this holds true for different classes of pharmaceuticals, it should be possible to predict the potential environmental impact from information obtained during the drug development process. This paper critically reviews the evidence for read-across, and finds that few studies include plasma concentrations and mode of action based effects. Thus, despite a large number of apparently relevant papers and a general acceptance of the hypothesis, there is an absence of documented evidence. There is a need for large-scale studies to generate robust data for testing the read-across hypothesis and developing predictive models, the only feasible approach to protecting the environment.BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award BB/ I00646X/1 and BBSRC Industrial CASE Partnership Studentship BB/I53257X/1 with AstraZeneca Safety Health and Environment Research Programme

TADPOL: A 1.3 mm Survey of Dust Polarization in Star-forming Cores and Regions

We present {\lambda}1.3 mm CARMA observations of dust polarization toward 30 star-forming cores and 8 star-forming regions from the TADPOL survey. We show maps of all sources, and compare the ~2.5" resolution TADPOL maps with ~20" resolution polarization maps from single-dish submillimeter telescopes. Here we do not attempt to interpret the detailed B-field morphology of each object. Rather, we use average B-field orientations to derive conclusions in a statistical sense from the ensemble of sources, bearing in mind that these average orientations can be quite uncertain. We discuss three main findings: (1) A subset of the sources have consistent magnetic field (B-field) orientations between large (~20") and small (~2.5") scales. Those same sources also tend to have higher fractional polarizations than the sources with inconsistent large-to-small-scale fields. We interpret this to mean that in at least some cases B-fields play a role in regulating the infall of material all the way down to the ~1000 AU scales of protostellar envelopes. (2) Outflows appear to be randomly aligned with B-fields; although, in sources with low polarization fractions there is a hint that outflows are preferentially perpendicular to small-scale B-fields, which suggests that in these sources the fields have been wrapped up by envelope rotation. (3) Finally, even at ~2.5" resolution we see the so-called "polarization hole" effect, where the fractional polarization drops significantly near the total intensity peak. All data are publicly available in the electronic edition of this article.Comment: 53 pages, 37 figures -- main body (13 pp., 3 figures), source maps (32 pp., 34 figures), source descriptions (8 pp.). Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Supplemen

An Evaluation of Agreement of Breathing Rates Measured by a Novel Device, Manual Counting, and Other Techniques Used in Clinical Practice: Protocol for the Observational VENTILATE Study.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory rate (RR) is the most sensitive physiological observation to predict clinical deterioration on hospital wards, and poor clinical monitoring has been highlighted as a primary contributor to avoidable mortality. Patients in intensive care have their RR monitored continuously, but this equipment is rarely available on general hospital wards. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective is to assess the accuracy of the RespiraSense device in comparison with other methods currently used in clinical practice. The secondary objective is to assess the accuracy of the RespiraSense device in participants in different positions and when reading aloud. METHODS: A single-center, prospective observational study will investigate the agreement of the RespiraSense device as compared with other device measurements (capnography, electrocardiogram) and the current standard measurement of RR (manual counting by a trained health care professional). The different methods will be employed concurrently on the same participant as part of a single study visit. RESULTS: Recruitment to this study has not yet started as funding decisions are still pending. Therefore, results are not available at this stage. It is anticipated that the data required could be collected within 2 months of first recruitment to the study and data analysis completed within 6 months of the study start date. CONCLUSIONS: The Evaluation of Agreement of Breathing Rates Measured by a Novel Device, Manual Counting, and Other Techniques Used in Clinical Practice (VENTILATE) study will provide further validation of the use of the RespiraSense device in subjects with abnormal respiratory rates. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/15437