The Power of Swearing: What we know and what we don’t

Swearing produces effects that are not observed with other forms of language use. Thus, swearing is powerful. It generates a range of distinctive outcomes: physiological, cognitive, emotional, pain-relieving, interactional and rhetorical. However, we know that the power of swearing is not intrinsic to the words themselves. Hence, our starting question is: How does swearing get its power? In this Overview Paper, our aim is threefold. (1) We present an interdisciplinary analysis of the power of swearing (‘what we know’), drawing on insights from cognitive studies, pragmatics, communication, neuropsychology, and biophysiology. We identify specific effects of swearing, including, inter alia: emotional force and arousal; increased attention and memory; heightened autonomic activity, such as heart rate and skin conductance; hypoalgesia (pain relief); increased strength and stamina; and a range of distinctive interpersonal, relational and rhetorical outcomes. (2) We explore existing (possible) explanations for the power of swearing, including, in particular, the hypothesis that aversive classical conditioning takes place via childhood punishments for swearing. (3) We identify and explore a series of questions and issues that remain unanswered by current research/theorising (‘what we don’t know’), including the lack of direct empirical evidence for aversive classical conditioning; and we offer directions for future research

Bivariate galaxy luminosity functions in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Bivariate luminosity functions (LFs) are computed for galaxies in the New York Value-Added Galaxy Catalogue, based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4. The galaxy properties investigated are the morphological type, inverse concentration index, Sérsic index, absolute effective surface brightness (SB), reference frame colours, absolute radius, eClass spectral type, stellar mass and galaxy environment. The morphological sample is flux limited to galaxies with r < 15.9 and consists of 37 047 classifications to an rms accuracy of ± half a class in the sequence E, S0, Sa, Sb, Sc, Sd, Im. These were assigned by an artificial neural network, based on a training set of 645 eyeball classifications. The other samples use r < 17.77 with a median redshift of z∼ 0.08, and a limiting redshift of z < 0.15 to minimize the effects of evolution. Other cuts, for example in axis ratio, are made to minimize biases. A wealth of detail is seen, with clear variations between the LFs according to absolute magnitude and the second parameter. They are consistent with an early-type, bright, concentrated, red population and a late-type, faint, less concentrated, blue, star-forming population. This bimodality suggests two major underlying physical processes, which in agreement with previous authors we hypothesize to be merger and accretion, associated with the properties of bulges and discs, respectively. The bivariate luminosity–SB distribution is fit with the Chołoniewski function (a Schechter function in absolute magnitude and Gaussian in SB). The fit is found to be poor, as might be expected if there are two underlying processes

Modified iButtons : a low-cost instrument to measure the albedo of landscape elements

Urban infill can lead to increased urban air and surface temperatures. Landscape elements (LEs) which can maintain cooler surface temperatures also reduce night-time re-emission of heat; however, reflected solar radiation (albedo) from these LEs during the day potentially increases heat loads on nearby objects, pedestrians or buildings. Albedo is traditionally measured using two pyranometers, however their expense can be prohibitive for researchers and landscape professionals. A low cost albedometer was developed consisting of a pair of black- and white-painted temperature sensors (Thermochron® iButtons). The albedos of 14 LEs typically found in suburban landscapes in Perth, Western Australia, were measured. Three approaches were tested: The first two used white-painted polystyrene (WPP) as a reference (one taking view factors into account, and one ignoring the albedo of the background material), whilst the third approach used upwards-facing iButtons as a reference, similar to conventional pyranometer methods. The WPP approaches controlled for weather effects, providing a consistent albedo over a longer daytime period than recommended by the standard ASTM-E1918-16. Measured albedos were similar to literature values. This instrument could be used as an alternative to more expensive pyranometers and could assist landscape professionals to design for, and manage, urban heat

Seasonal and diurnal surface temperatures of urban landscape elements

In the context of the Urban Heat Island effect, landscape professionals need practical guidance to design for managing surface urban heat. The apparent surface temperatures of samples of 19 hard and soft landscape elements (LEs) found in Perth (Australia) were measured. Thermal images of LE samples on an oval were taken at a 1 m height. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 LE surface temperatures relative to ambient (∆T) were measured over one day in all four seasons. LEs were ranked by average ∆T, and maintained a similar order across seasons, with summer LEs the hottest. Some LEs were 30–44 ◦C above ambient in spring and autumn, so these seasons are also significant. Phase 2 repeated the summer test, but used only 14 larger LEs, which were well-coupled to the ground, i.e. more representative of in situ LEs. ∆T values were averaged over daytime and evening periods. Larger LEs were generally hotter than corresponding smaller LEs, with the effect more evident for heavier, denser LEs in the evenings. Future tests should be performed as per phase 2. Averaged measured values of grey pavers were the hottest, whilst ground-cover plants were the coolest. In the evening, grey pavers were also the hottest, whilst decking, soil and turf grass were the coolest. This data will help landscape professionals to assess and compare the thermal performance of different landscape designs, particularly when considering the time of use

The proposal of adding a society value to the software process improvement manifesto

The use of computers has become ubiquitous and spread out to every part of our personal lives and businesses. Computer Ethics focuses on the questions of right and wrong that arise from the development and deployment of computers. Thus, it urges that the social impact of computers must be analysed. In software engineering, the Software Process Improvement (SPI) Manifesto was developed by groups of experts in the field and aimed to improve the software produced, by improving the process, the attitudes of software engineers, and the organisational culture and practices. The manifesto is centred on three basic values: people, business focus and organisational change, underpinning the philosophy of software process improvement; and ten corresponding principles, which serve as foundations for action. In this paper, we argue that SPI professionals, need to, in addition to fulfilling duties to the Organisation, the Business, the Employees who participate in SPI, and the People who will be most affected, broaden their obligations to include wider society. The impact of developed and deployed software systems is often beyond the organisation and affects the daily lives and activities of citizens in society. This paper argues for the inclusion, in the SPI Manifesto, of a fourth value titled Society, along with six corresponding principles. These half-dozen principles are based on traditional moral and ethical concepts, sourced from the field of Computer Ethics. This proposed revision to the SPI manifesto would explicitly espouse the notion of serving the public interest. It will likely help SPI professionals to remember that working in the public interest is also important in Software Process Improvement, thus, making the duty to society clear and obvious or evident

Galaxy and mass assembly: the G02 field, Herschel–ATLAS target selection and data release 3

We describe data release 3 (DR3) of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. The GAMA survey is a spectroscopic redshift and multiwavelength photometric survey in three equatorial regions each of 60.0 deg2 (G09, G12, and G15), and two southern regions of 55.7 deg2 (G02) and 50.6 deg2 (G23). DR3 consists of: the first release of data covering the G02 region and of data on H-ATLAS (Herschel – Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey) sources in the equatorial regions; and updates to data on sources released in DR2. DR3 includes 154 809 sources with secure redshifts across four regions. A subset of the G02 region is 95.5 per cent redshift complete to r < 19.8 mag over an area of 19.5 deg2, with 20 086 galaxy redshifts, that overlaps substantially with the XXL survey (X-ray) and VIPERS (redshift survey). In the equatorial regions, the main survey has even higher completeness (98.5 per cent), and spectra for about 75 per cent of H-ATLAS filler targets were also obtained. This filler sample extends spectroscopic redshifts, for probable optical counterparts to HATLAS submillimetre sources, to 0.8 mag deeper (r < 20.6 mag) than the GAMA main survey. There are 25 814 galaxy redshifts for H-ATLAS sources from the GAMA main or filler surveys. GAMA DR3 is available at the survey website (www.gama-survey.org/dr3/)

Dermatoglyphic Patterns of Autistic Children in Nigeria

Dermatoglyphic patterns have positive correlation in a number of genetic diseases. This research was carried out to determine any possible relationship between dermatoglyphics and autism in Nigeria using digital and palmar patterns, total ridge count, a-b ridge count and crease pattern. The digital and palmar prints of 20 autistic subjects from an autistic centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers state Nigeria were taken with parental guidance. The percentage frequency distribution of the digital pattern of the autistic subject was 49.5% for the arch, 18.5% for the whorl, 28.5% for the ulnar loop and 3.5% for the radial loop against 44% for the ulnar loop, 25.5% for the arch, 22% for the whorl and 8.5% for the radial loop for normal subjects. The mean values of the a –b ridge counts on the right and left hands of autistic male were 34.66 and 33.33 against 36.40 and 31.33  in non-autistic children respectively while in  female they were 38.6 and 35.8 against 41.40 and 38.6 respectively. Though no statistical significant difference was observed when the two groups were compared (P&gt;0.05). It was, however, observed that the number of the total ridge counts in the right and left hands of the autistic children were lower than those of the normal subjects. Thus, there is need for further investigation using larger sample size. The data from this study will serve as a good reference for future study on this subject in Nigeria. Key Words: Dermatoglyphics and Autis

Intrinsic Axis Ratio Distribution of Early-type Galaxies From Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5, we have investigated the intrinsic axis ratio distribution (ARD) for early-type galaxies. We have constructed a volume-limited sample of 3,922 visually-inspected early-type galaxies at $0.05 \leq z \leq 0.06$ carefully considering sampling biases caused by the galaxy isophotal size and luminosity. We attempt to de-project the observed ARD into three-dimensional types (oblate, prolate, and triaxial), which are classified in terms of triaxiality. We confirm that no linear combination of $randomly$-distributed axis ratios of the three types can reproduce the observed ARD. However, using Gaussian intrinsic distributions, we have found reasonable fits to the data with preferred mean axis ratios for oblate, prolate, and triaxial (triaxials in two axis ratios), $\mu_o=0.44, \mu_p=0.72, \mu_{t,\beta}=0.92, \mu_{t,\gamma}=0.78$ where the fractions of oblate, prolate and triaxial types are \textrm{O:P:T}=0.29^{\pm0.09}:0.26^{\pm0.11}:0.45^{\pm0.13}$. We have also found that the luminous sample ($-23.3 < M_r \leq -21.2$) tends to have more triaxials than the less luminous ($-21.2 < M_r <-19.3$) sample does. Oblate is relatively more abundant among the less luminous galaxies. Interestingly, the preferences of axis ratios for triaxial types in the two luminosity classes are remarkably similar. We have not found any significant influence of the local galaxy number density on ARD. We show that the results can be seriously affected by the details in the data selection and type classification scheme. Caveats and implications on galaxy formation are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

A case-based sustainable refurbishment framework for multi-storey residential buildings

Session 8: Processes and MethodologiesImproving the energy efficiency of existing buildings has been identified as one of the most effective strategies to reduce the carbon emissions as a high proportion of energy is consumed by building occupants. However, the biggest challenge is to persuade owners and occupants to take up sustainable actions as any refurbishment works would involve cost and may affect their daily life. A sustainable building refurbishment scheme may fail if it focuses purely on reducing carbon emissions without addressing the owner and occupants’ concerns. The problem is aggravated when a building facility is occupied by different people as their perceptions and expectations could be quite different. If successful or failure experience can be made available to owners and/or occupants when sustainable refurbishment decision is made, the potential benefits and drawbacks of different sustainable refurbishment solutions can be compared to ensure any possible concerns are dealt with satisfactorily. Case-based reasoning which solves new problems by retrieving, comparing and reusing the experience of old cases in a collective manner offers a good potential for modelling the complex and dynamic interactions amongst the building condition, human expectations and emission reductions. In this paper, a …postprin