The influence of slope geology on landslide occurrence during extreme rainfall

Extreme rainfall events, seasonal weather extremes and long term climate change present a threat to the stability of natural and engineered slopes by altering slope hydrology and shear strength beyond recent historical values. The temporal and spatial fluctuation of slope wetting and drying in response to weather event sequences can be represented using a surface water balance approach of rainfall infiltration and potential evapotranspiration, such as a soil moisture deficit calculation (SMD). This provides an opportunity to address the regional susceptibility of slopes to become unstable when exposed to adverse weather event sequences. However, case studies have shown that site specific characterisation of foundation geology (e.g. permeability and shear strength) is required to assess the vulnerability of specific slopes to pore water pressure fluctuations and slope failure during extreme weather events.The relationship between underlying geology and landslide incidence during extreme weather extremes is illustrated by comparing long term weather data, soil moisture deficit calculations and geological information using a database of over 400 UK land-slide events that occurred between 2004 and 2014.<br/

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

The association of the PON1 Q192R polymorphism with coronary heart disease: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health cohort study and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There have been inconsistent results from case-control studies assessing the association of the PON1 Q192R polymorphism with coronary heart disease (CHD). Most studies have included predominantly men and the association in women is unclear. Since lipid levels vary between the sexes the antioxidant effect of PON1 and any genes associated with it may also vary by sex. We have examined the association of the PON1 Q192R polymorphism with CHD in a large cohort of British women and combined the results from our cohort study with those from all other published studies. RESULTS: The distribution of genotypes was the same among women with CHD and those without disease. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having CHD comparing those with either the QR or RR genotype to those with QQ genotype (dominant model of association) was 1.03 (0.89, 1.21) and the per allele odds ratio was 0.98 (0.95, 1.01). In a meta-analysis of this and 38 other published studies (10,738 cases and 17,068 controls) the pooled odds ratio for the dominant effect was 1.14 (1.08, 1.20) and for the per allele effect was 1.10 (1.06, 1.13). There was evidence of small study bias in the meta-analyses and the dominant effect among those studies with 500 or more cases was 1.05 (0.96, 1.15). Ethnicity and reporting of whether the genotyping was done blind to the participants clinical status also contributed to heterogeneity between studies, but there was no difference in effect between studies with 50% or more women compared to those with fewer women and no difference between studies of healthy populations compared to those at high risk (with diabetes, renal disease of familial hypercholesterolaemia). CONCLUSION: There is no robust evidence that the PON1 Q192R polymorphism is associated with CHD risk in Caucasian women or men

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