715 research outputs found
HCU400: An Annotated Dataset for Exploring Aural Phenomenology Through Causal Uncertainty
The way we perceive a sound depends on many aspects-- its ecological
frequency, acoustic features, typicality, and most notably, its identified
source. In this paper, we present the HCU400: a dataset of 402 sounds ranging
from easily identifiable everyday sounds to intentionally obscured artificial
ones. It aims to lower the barrier for the study of aural phenomenology as the
largest available audio dataset to include an analysis of causal attribution.
Each sample has been annotated with crowd-sourced descriptions, as well as
familiarity, imageability, arousal, and valence ratings. We extend existing
calculations of causal uncertainty, automating and generalizing them with word
embeddings. Upon analysis we find that individuals will provide less polarized
emotion ratings as a sound's source becomes increasingly ambiguous; individual
ratings of familiarity and imageability, on the other hand, diverge as
uncertainty increases despite a clear negative trend on average
Simultaneous optical polarimetry and X-ray data of the near synchronous polar RX J2115-5840
We present simultaneous optical polarimetry and X-ray data of the near
synchronous polar RX J2115-5840. We model the polarisation data using the
Stokes imaging technique of Potter et al. We find that the data are best
modelled using a relatively high binary inclination and a small angle between
the magnetic and spin axes. We find that for all spin-orbit beat phases, a
significant proportion of the accretion flow is directed onto the lower
hemisphere of the white dwarf, producing negative circular polarisation. Only
for a small fraction of the beat cycle is a proportion of the flow directed
onto the upper hemisphere. However, the accretion flow never occurs near the
upper magnetic pole, whatever the orientation of the magnetic poles. This
indicates the presence of a non-dipole field with the field strength at the
upper pole significantly higher. We find that the brightest parts of the hard
X-ray emitting region and the cyclotron region are closely coincident.Comment: 9 pages, accepted for publication in MNRAS 2 March 200
The Ratio of Ortho- to Para-H2 in Photodissociation Regions
We discuss the ratio of ortho- to para-H2 in photodissociation regions
(PDRs). We draw attention to an apparent confusion in the literature between
the ortho-to-para ratio of molecules in FUV-pumped vibrationally excited
states, and the H2 ortho-to-para abundance ratio. These ratios are not the same
because the process of FUV-pumping of fluorescent H2 emission in PDRs occurs
via optically thick absorption lines. Thus, gas with an equilibrium ratio of
ortho- to para-H2 equal to 3 will yield FUV-pumped vibrationally excited
ortho-to-para ratios smaller than 3, because the ortho-H2 pumping rates are
preferentially reduced by optical depth effects. Indeed, if the ortho and para
pumping lines are on the ``square root'' part of the curve-of-growth, then the
expected ratio of ortho and para vibrational line strengths is the square root
of 3, ~ 1.7, close to the typically observed value. Thus, contrary to what has
sometimes been stated in the literature, most previous measurements of the
ratio of ortho- to para-H2 in vibrationally excited states are entirely
consistent with a total ortho-to-para ratio of 3, the equilibrium value for
temperatures greater than 200 K. We present an analysis and several detailed
models which illustrate the relationship between the total ratios of ortho- to
para-H2 and the vibrationally excited ortho-to-para ratios in PDRs. Recent
Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) measurements of pure rotational and
vibrational H2 emissions from the PDR in the star-forming region S140 provide
strong observational support for our conclusions.Comment: 23 pages (including 5 figures), LaTeX, uses aaspp4.sty, accepted for
publication in Ap
POSTbrief 56: Men’s Health (contributor)
In the UK, several physical and mental health conditions disproportionately impact men. Men are more likely to experience poor health outcomes for a variety of conditions such as some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and are more likely to die by suicide, when compared with women.
On average in the UK, women live almost 4 years longer than men. Although this gap has narrowed historically, it recently widened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of health and wider inequalities between different groups of men, there are also significant disparities in life expectancy between some groups of men.
The underlying causes of poor men’s health outcomes broadly relate to many interconnected factors such as:
socio-economic factors
protected characteristics
behavioural factors
health-seeking behaviours
psychological factors.
There are several risk factors that are more common among men than women in the UK. Evidence suggests that there are certain health inequalities between distinct groups of men, as well as other populations, including transgender and non-binary communities.
Sex and gender specific health policy in the UK is a current topic of discussion. Public health policies in England are predominantly condition- and outcome-focused. However, there are some specific health interventions targeted at men at a national, regional and community level. The Men’s Health Forum (a charity with the aim of improving the health of men and boys in the UK) has been leading a campaign for a national strategy on men’s health with support from several UK charities and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on issues affecting men and boys. The APPG subsequently published a report on “The Case for a Men’s Health Strategy” in Feb 2022. In July 2023, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee launched an inquiry on men’s physical and mental health outcomes. Outside the UK, there have been several national men’s health strategies including in Ireland (first published 2008) and Australia (published in 2010 and updated in 2019).
In November 2023, the UK Government announced that a Men’s Health Ambassador would be appointed along with the establishment of a men’s health task and finish group, focusing on increasing awareness of certain conditions and health needs faced by men and improving men’s engagement with health services
Poor outcomes in patients with sepsis undergoing emergency laparotomy and laparoscopy are attenuated by faster time to care measures
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NE received the University of Aberdeen Innes Will Endowed Research Scholarship 2022 to carry out the research. FUNDING INFORMATION The Emergency Laparotomy and Laparoscopic Scottish Audit (ELLSA) is a Scottish Government initiative supported via the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Cosmic Calibration: Constraints from the Matter Power Spectrum and the Cosmic Microwave Background
Several cosmological measurements have attained significant levels of
maturity and accuracy over the last decade. Continuing this trend, future
observations promise measurements of the statistics of the cosmic mass
distribution at an accuracy level of one percent out to spatial scales with
k~10 h/Mpc and even smaller, entering highly nonlinear regimes of gravitational
instability. In order to interpret these observations and extract useful
cosmological information from them, such as the equation of state of dark
energy, very costly high precision, multi-physics simulations must be
performed. We have recently implemented a new statistical framework with the
aim of obtaining accurate parameter constraints from combining observations
with a limited number of simulations. The key idea is the replacement of the
full simulator by a fast emulator with controlled error bounds. In this paper,
we provide a detailed description of the methodology and extend the framework
to include joint analysis of cosmic microwave background and large scale
structure measurements. Our framework is especially well-suited for upcoming
large scale structure probes of dark energy such as baryon acoustic
oscillations and, especially, weak lensing, where percent level accuracy on
nonlinear scales is needed.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisition in healthcare workers with cystic fibrosis: a retrospective cross-sectional study.
Background People with cystic fibrosis (CF) may work in healthcare settings risking nosocomial pathogen acquisition. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in adult healthcare workers with CF (HCWcf). Methods Data was collected in this observational study on MRSA acquisition from 405 CF patients attending an adult CF centre in Australia between 2001–2012. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between HCWcf and non-HCWcf. A sub-analysis was subsequently performed to compare demographic and clinical characteristics between those patients (HCWcf versus non-HCWcf) that acquired MRSA. We also investigated rates of chronic MRSA infection and the outcome of eradication treatment in HCWcf. Results A higher proportion of HCWcf acquired MRSA [n = 10/21] compared to non-HCWcf [n = 40/255] (P <0.001). The odds of MRSA acquisition were 8.4 (95 % CI, 3.0 – 23.4) times greater in HCWcf than non-HCWcf. HCWcf with MRSA were older (P = 0.02) and had better lung function (P = 0.009), yet hospitalisation rates were similar compared to non-HCWcf with MRSA. Chronic MRSA infection developed in 36/50 CF patients (HCWcf, n = 6; non-HCWcf, n = 30), with eradication therapy achieved in 5/6 (83 %) HCWcf. Conclusions The rate of MRSA incidence was highest in HCWcf and the workplace is a possible source of acquisition. Vocational guidance should include the potential for MRSA acquisition for CF patients considering healthcare professions
Developing a core outcome set for periodontal trials
Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank all patients and professionals who took part in the Delphi process and face-to-face consensus meeting. We wish to thank Jillian Sutherland, Shirley Bell, Margaret Mooney and Lorna Barnsley for helping to organise the face-to-face consensus meeting. Patient participant recruitment to this study was facilitated by SHARE–the Scottish Health Research Register. SHARE is supported by NHS Research Scotland and the Chief Scientists Office Funding: TL received research funding for the core outcome set development for the prevention and management of periodontal diseases which was provided by the Tattershall fund, Dundee Dental School. This grant provided funds for the e-Delphi software, SHARE services and the face-to-face consensus meeting travel and catering costs. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscriptPeer reviewedPublisher PD
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