Promoting male refugees’ mental health after they have been granted Leave to Remain (refugee status)

There is existing evidence that suggests that refugees’ mental health is often impaired by pre-migratory stress, by their experience of being asylum seekers and also by their resettlement adversities; however, little is known about the specific mental health issues of male refugees. The current research is set in this context and it aims to explore multiple levels of stress that male refugees experience after they have been granted Leave to Remain (refugee status) in the U.K. A total of nine male refugees took part in the study; they were interviewed individually and the interview transcripts were analysed by the use of Thematic Analysis. The overall findings indicated that being granted Leave to Remain worsened participants’ mental health, as they had to face new challenges such as seeking employment and accommodation, as well as their general struggle to settle in the U.K. Participants indicated that the type of support available to them was quite poor. These findings are relevant in order to support specific intervention strategies to promote male refugees’ mental health

Galaxy evolution across the optical emission-line diagnostic diagrams?

The discovery of the M-sigma relation, the local galaxy bimodality, and the link between black-hole and host-galaxy properties, have raised the question whether AGN play a role in galaxy evolution. Several theoretical models implement AGN feedback to explain the observed galaxy luminosity function, and possibly the color and morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into passive ellipticals. To understand the importance of AGN feedback, a study of the AGN populations in the radio-optical domain is crucial. A mass sequence linking star-forming galaxies and AGN has been already noted in previous works, and it is now investigated as possible evolutionary sequence. We observed a sample of 119 intermediate-redshift (0.04<z<0.4) SDSS-FIRST radio emitters with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope at 4.85 and 10.45 GHz and obtained spectral indices. We find indications of spectral index flattening in high-metallicity star-forming galaxies, composite galaxies, and Seyferts. This "flattening sequence" along the [NII]-based emission-line diagnostic diagram is consistent with the hardening of galaxy ionizing field, due to nuclear activity. After combining our data with FIRST measurements at 1.4 GHz, we find that the three-point radio spectra of Seyferts and LINERs show substantial differences, attributable to small radio core components and larger (arcsecond sized) jet/lobe components, respectively. A visual inspection of FIRST images seems to confirm this hypothesis. Galaxies along this sequence are hypothesized to be transitioning from the active star-forming galaxies (blue cloud) to the passive elliptical galaxies (red sequence). This supports the suggestion that AGN play a role in shutting down star-formation, and allow the transition from one galaxy class to the other.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&

On the Absence of Continuous Symmetries for Noncommutative 3-Spheres

A large class of noncommutative spherical manifolds was obtained recently from cohomology considerations. A one-parameter family of twisted 3-spheres was discovered by Connes and Landi, and later generalized to a three-parameter family by Connes and Dubois-Violette. The spheres of Connes and Landi were shown to be homogeneous spaces for certain compact quantum groups. Here we investigate whether or not this property can be extended to the noncommutative three-spheres of Connes and Dubois-Violette. Upon restricting to quantum groups which are continuous deformations of Spin(4) and SO(4) with standard co-actions, our results suggest that this is not the case.Comment: 15 pages, no figure

A low-luminosity type-1 QSO sample; III. Optical spectroscopic properties and activity classification

We report on the optical spectroscopic analysis of a sample of 99 low-luminosity quasi-stellar objects (LLQSOs) at $z\leq 0.06$ base the Hamburg/ESO QSO survey (HES). The LLQSOs presented here offer the possibility of studying the faint end of the QSO population at smaller cosmological distances and, therefore, in greater detail. A small number of our LLQSO present no broad component. Two sources show double broad components, whereas six comply with the classic NLS1 requirements. As expected in NLR of broad line AGNs, the [S{\sc{ii}}]$-$based electron density values range between 100 and 1000 N$_{e}$/cm$^{3}$. Using the optical characteristics of Populations A and B, we find that 50\% of our sources with H$\beta$ broad emission are consistent with the radio-quiet sources definition. The remaining sources could be interpreted as low-luminosity radio-loud quasar. The BPT-based classification renders an AGN/Seyfert activity between 50 to 60\%. For the remaining sources, the possible star burst contribution might control the LINER and HII classification. Finally, we discuss the aperture effect as responsible for the differences found between data sets, although variability in the BLR could play a significant role as well.Comment: 22 pages; 5 tables; 17 figures; in press with A&

Measuring the LISA test mass magnetic proprieties with a torsion pendulum

Achieving the low frequency LISA sensitivity requires that the test masses acting as the interferometer end mirrors are free-falling with an unprecedented small degree of deviation. Magnetic disturbances, originating in the interaction of the test mass with the environmental magnetic field, can significantly deteriorate the LISA performance and can be parameterized through the test mass remnant dipole moment $\vec{m}_r$ and the magnetic susceptibility $\chi$. While the LISA test flight precursor LTP will investigate these effects during the preliminary phases of the mission, the very stringent requirements on the test mass magnetic cleanliness make ground-based characterization of its magnetic proprieties paramount. We propose a torsion pendulum technique to accurately measure on ground the magnetic proprieties of the LISA/LTP test masses.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

The face-space duality hypothesis: a computational model

Valentine's face-space suggests that faces are represented in a psychological multidimensional space according to their perceived properties. However, the proposed framework was initially designed as an account of invariant facial features only, and explanations for dynamic features representation were neglected. In this paper we propose, develop and evaluate a computational model for a twofold structure of the face-space, able to unify both identity and expression representations in a single implemented model. To capture both invariant and dynamic facial features we introduce the face-space duality hypothesis and subsequently validate it through a mathematical presentation using a general approach to dimensionality reduction. Two experiments with real facial images show that the proposed face-space: (1) supports both identity and expression recognition, and (2) has a twofold structure anticipated by our formal argument

Improved Torsion Pendulum for Ground Testing of LISA Displacement Sensors

We discuss a new torsion pendulum design for ground testing of prototype LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) displacement sensors. This new design is directly sensitive to net forces and therefore provides a more representative test of the noisy forces and parasitic stiffnesses acting on the test mass as compared to previous ground-based experiments. We also discuss a specific application to the measurement of thermal gradient effects.Comment: 4 pages 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings of the 10th Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativit

Thermal gradient-induced forces on geodetic reference masses for LISA

The low frequency sensitivity of space-borne gravitational wave observatories will depend critically on the geodetic purity of the trajectories of orbiting test masses. Fluctuations in the temperature difference across the enclosure surrounding the free-falling test mass can produce noisy forces through several processes, including the radiometric effect, radiation pressure, and outgassing. We present here a detailed experimental investigation of thermal gradient-induced forces for the LISA gravitational wave mission and the LISA Pathfinder, employing high resolution torsion pendulum measurements of the torque on a LISA-like test mass suspended inside a prototype of the LISA gravitational reference sensor that will surround the test mass in orbit. The measurement campaign, accompanied by numerical simulations of the radiometric and radiation pressure effects, allows a more accurate and representative characterization of thermal-gradient forces in the specific geometry and environment relevant to LISA free-fall. The pressure dependence of the measured torques allows clear identification of the radiometric effect, in quantitative agreement with the model developed. In the limit of zero gas pressure, the measurements are most likely dominated by outgassing, but at a low level that does not threaten the LISA sensitivity goals.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Physical Review

A Domain-Independent Approach of Cognitive Appraisal Augmented by Higher Cognitive Layer of Ethical Reasoning

According to cognitive appraisal theory, emotion in an individual is the result of how a situation/event is evaluated by the individual. This evaluation has different outcomes among people and it is often suggested to be operationalised by a set of rules or beliefs acquired by the subject throughout development. Unfortunately, this view is particularly detrimental for computational applications of emotion appraisal. In fact, it requires providing a knowledge base that is particularly difficult to establish and manage, especially in systems designed for highly complex scenarios, such as social robots. In addition, according to appraisal theory, an individual might elicit more than one emotion at a time in reaction to an event. Hence, determining which emotional state should be attributed in relationship to a specific event is another critical issue not yet fully addressed by the available literature. In this work, we show that: (i) the cognitive appraisal process can be realised without a complex set of rules; instead, we propose that this process can be operationalised by knowing only the positive or negative perceived effect the event has on the subject, thus facilitating extensibility and integrability of the emotional system; (ii) the final emotional state to attribute in relation to a specific situation is better explained by ethical reasoning mechanisms. These hypotheses are supported by our experimental results. Therefore, this contribution is particularly significant to provide a more simple and generalisable explanation of cognitive appraisal theory and to promote the integration between theories of emotion and ethics studies, currently often neglected by the available literature