Designing Second-Screening Experiences for Social Co-Selection and Critical Co-Viewing of Reality TV

Public commentary related to reality TV can be overwhelmed by thoughtless reactions and negative sentiments, which often problematically reinforce the cultural stereotyping typically employed in such media. We describe the design and month-long evaluation of a mobile "second-screening" application, Screenr, which uses co-voting and live textual tagging to encourage more critical co-viewing in these contexts. Our findings highlight how Screenr supported interrogation of the production qualities and claims of shows, promoted critical discourse around the motivations of programmes, and engaged participants in reflecting on their own assumptions and views. We situate our results within the context of existing second-screening co-viewing work, discuss implications for such technologies to support critical engagement with socio-political media, and provide design implications for future digital technologies in this domain

Neutral atomic hydrogen (H i) gas evolution in field galaxies at z similar to 0.1 and similar to 0.2

<p>We measure the neutral atomic hydrogen (H i) gas content of field galaxies at intermediate redshifts of z similar to 0.1 and similar to 0.2 using hydrogen 21-cm emission lines observed with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. In order to make high signal-to-noise ratio detections, an H i signal stacking technique is applied: H i emission spectra from multiple galaxies, optically selected by the second Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology redshift survey project, are co-added to measure the average H i mass of galaxies in the two redshift bins. We calculate the cosmic H i gas densities ((Hi)) at the two redshift regimes and compare those with measurements at other redshifts to investigate the global evolution of the H i gas density over cosmic time. From a total of 59 galaxies at z similar to 0.1 we find (Hi) = (0.33 +/- 0.05) x 10(-3), and at z similar to 0.2 we find (Hi) = (0.34 +/- 0.09) x 10(-3), based on 96 galaxies. These measurements help bridge the gap between high-z damped Lyman alpha observations and blind 21-cm surveys at z = 0. We find that our measurements of (Hi) at z similar to 0.1 and similar to 0.2 are consistent with the H i gas density at z similar to 0 and that all measurements of (Hi) from 21-cm emission observations at z less than or similar to 0.2 are in agreement with no evolution of the H i gas content in galaxies during the last 2.4 Gyr.</p>

Porosity-engineered carbons for supercapacitive energy storage using conjugated microporous polymer precursors

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are considered an important material, combining aspects of both microporosity and extended π-conjugation. However, pristine CMP electrodes suffer from poor electrical conductivity which limits the material in electrochemical applications. In this work, direct carbonisation of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) yields porosity-engineered carbons, important for the flow of ions through the electrode. These conductive carbonised CMPs show specific capacitance as high as 260 F g−1, excellent rate capability and no loss in performance after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles. This study provides a procedure to enhance the performance of CMP-based materials, opening up a new source of electroactive materials

'Reluctant pioneer':A qualitative study of doctors' experiences as patients with long COVID

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic has had far‐reaching effects upon lives, healthcare systems and society. Some who had an apparently 'mild' COVID‐19 infection continue to suffer from persistent symptoms, including chest pain, breathlessness, fatigue, cognitive impairment, paraesthesia, muscle and joint pains. This has been labelled 'long COVID'. This paper reports the experiences of doctors with long COVID. Methods: A qualitative study; interviews with doctors experiencing persistent symptoms were conducted by telephone or video call. Interviews were transcribed and analysis conducted using an inductive and thematic approach. Results: Thirteen doctors participated. The following themes are reported: making sense of symptoms, feeling let down, using medical knowledge and connections, wanting to help and be helped, combining patient and professional identity. Experiencing long COVID can be transformative: many expressed hope that good would come of their experiences. Distress related to feelings of being ‘let down’ and the hard work of trying to access care. Participants highlighted that they felt better able to care for, and empathize with, patients with chronic conditions, particularly where symptoms are unexplained. Conclusions: The study adds to the literature on the experiences of doctors as patients, in particular where evidence is emerging and the patient has to take the lead in finding solutions to their problems and accessing their own care. Patient and Public contribution: The study was developed with experts by experience (including co‐authors HA and TAB) who contributed to the protocol and ethics application, and commented on analysis and implications. All participants were given the opportunity to comment on findings

Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) Nuclear Ground Test Results and Lessons Learned

The Kilopower nuclear ground testing nicknamed KRUSTY (Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY) was completed at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS) on March 21, 2018. This full scale nuclear demonstration verified the Kilopower reactor neutronics during startup, steady state, and transient operations in a space simulated environment. This was the first space reactor test completed for fission power systems in over 50 years and marked a turning point in NASA's nuclear program. The completed reactor power system design incorporated flight prototypic materials and full scale components in an effort to study the reactor dynamics at full power and significantly reduce follow on risk of a future flight demonstration. This design provided a unique opportunity for the power system to simulate several expected and unexpected mission scenarios that allowed the designers to verify that the reactor dynamics could tolerate many worst case conditions regarding reactor stability and control. The dynamic changes imposed on the reactor validated the ability of the reactor to load follow the power conversion system and passively control the fuel temperature and overall system stability. With successful completion of the KRUSTY experiment, the NASA/DOE team will evaluate the lessons learned throughout the project and apply them towards a flight demonstration of a Kilopower reactor

Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies -- an EVLA Survey (CHANG-ES) -- II: First Results on NGC 4631

We present the first results from the CHANG-ES survey, a new survey of 35 edge-on galaxies to search for both in-disk as well as extra-planar radio continuum emission. The motivation and science case for the survey are presented in a companion paper (Paper I). In this paper (Paper II), we outline the observations and data reduction steps required for wide-band calibration and mapping of EVLA data, including polarization, based on C-array test observations of NGC 4631. With modest on-source observing times (30 minutes at 1.5 GHz and 75 minutes at 6 GHz for the test data) we have achieved best rms noise levels of 22 and 3.5 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ at 1.5 GHz and 6 GHz, respectively. New disk-halo features have been detected, among them two at 1.5 GHz that appear as loops in projection. We present the first 1.5 GHz spectral index map of NGC 4631 to be formed from a single wide-band observation in a single array configuration. This map represents tangent slopes to the intensities within the band centered at 1.5 GHz, rather than fits across widely separated frequencies as has been done in the past and is also the highest spatial resolution spectral index map yet presented for this galaxy. The average spectral index in the disk is $\bar\alpha_{1.5 GHz}\,=\,-0.84\,\pm\,0.05$ indicating that the emission is largely non-thermal, but a small global thermal contribution is sufficient to explain a positive curvature term in the spectral index over the band. Two specific star forming regions have spectral indices that are consistent with thermal emission. Polarization results (uncorrected for internal Faraday rotation) are consistent with previous observations and also reveal some new features. On broad scales, we find strong support for the notion that magnetic fields constrain the X-ray emitting hot gas.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal, Version 2 changes: Added acknowledgement to NRA

The Effects of 120 Minutes of Simulated Match Play on Indices of Acid-Base Balance in Professional Academy Soccer Players

This study investigated changes in indices of acid-base balance during 120 minutes of simulated soccer match-play that included a 30 min extra-time (ET) period. Eight English Premier League academy soccer players participated in a simulated soccer match that required varying intensities of intermittent exercise including 15 m sprints and soccer dribbling throughout. Blood samples were obtained prior to (i.e., baseline, pre-exercise) and throughout exercise (i.e., 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120 min), and at half-time. Sprint speeds over 15 m reduced in ET compared to the first (-0.39 ± 0.37 m∙s-1, -7 ± 6%, p = 0.021) but not the second half (-0.18 ± 0.25 m∙s-1, -3 ± 4%, p = 0.086). At 105 min, blood lactate concentrations reduced compared to the opening 30 min (-0.9 to -1.2 mmol·l-1, p 0.05). Although the perturbations in acid-base balance during ET were statistically significant, the decreases in blood pH, lactate, base excess, and bicarbonate concentrations may not represent metabolic acidosis or impairments in buffering capacity that are likely to explain reduced physical performance. Further research is warranted to investigate mechanisms of fatigue during ET and to develop interventions that attenuate decrements in performance