Thai trans people push to be 'truly' accepted

NOT JUST LADY BOYS

Agence France-Presse
April 23, 2024 

Thai doctor Kachisarah Sridakhot (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA/AFP)

Stethoscope over her white coat, Thai doctor Kachisarah Sridakhot walks hospital corridors hoping to beat a path for other trans women to be fully accepted in the kingdom.

LGBTQ activists won a major victory last month when Thai lawmakers passed a bill that should see same-sex marriages become legal later this year -- a first in Southeast Asia.

Now campaigners are hoping to push the government to allow trans men and women to have their gender recognised in official paperwork.

Kachisarah knows the problem all too well -- despite identifying as a woman, she is still identified by the government as a man.

"This is discrimination," she told AFP.

The 26-year-old said she has fought for years to be able to express her true gender.

"At medical school, they didn't allow me to dress how I wanted to based on my gender, so I had to wear the male outfit," she said.

"The reason they gave me was that 'patients couldn't accept it', but in fact, (patients) just wanted to get better and they respected us for who we are."

It is not currently possible for a person to change their gender on documents such as ID cards and passports.


This can make even routine tasks like visiting the bank or passing through airport immigration a challenging or humiliating experience for transgender people.

- 'Feel like they really exist' -

Thailand has long enjoyed a reputation for tolerance of the LGBTQ community, hosting yearly pride events attended by locals and visitors from around the world.

But advocates have worked for decades to ensure LGBTQ rights become enshrined in law, struggling against traditional attitudes in a largely conservative Buddhist society.

A 2021 Human Rights Watch report found Thailand provides limited legal protection to trans people, who face harassment, discrimination and stigma.

A growing number of countries around the world allow people to change their legal gender on official documents and Thai activists are keen to enact similar changes in the kingdom.


A first attempt to pass a gender recognition bill, submitted by the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), was voted down by parliament in February.

Activists say they are eager to push another draft -- this time from scholars and campaigners themselves.

The proposed bill would allow individuals the right to declare their gender, rather than be made to be identified by the gender assigned at birth.

Crucially, such a law would also allow trans people easier and safer access to vital medical care.

"People can say if they are male, female or non-binary," Nachale Boonyapisomparn, a trans activist who worked on the draft bill, told AFP.

More than 10,000 people -- the minimum legal requirement -- have signed a petition in support, and the bill is set to be submitted to parliament later this year for consideration.

MFP lawmaker and LGBTQ activist Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat said it would be a monumental step for Thailand.

"It will make LGBTQ people feel like they really exist in the society," he told AFP.

- 'No Sex Stigma' -

It is an issue that is especially close to Kachisarah's heart.

Hailing from Ubon Ratchathani province, the heartland of Thailand's rural rice-growing northeast, Kachisarah says she was a shy child whose parents were uncomfortable with her self-expression.

She attended medical school -- beginning her transition at 17 -- eventually becoming a doctor specialising in sexual health.

"I tried to prove myself to be accepted by the majority of society," she explained.

Now, she uses her platform –- a TikTok account called "No Sex Stigma" -– to try to counter a dearth of medical knowledge among the LGBTQ community in the kingdom.

Known as "Dr Bruze" to her 6,000 followers, she shares information about safe sex practices, as well as advice on hormone supplements.


"Some people I know had problems with their liver because they didn't take medication correctly," she said.

Ultimately, she hopes improving education about and for the LGBTQ community will change perceptions.

"If Thai society truly accepts us, we wouldn't have to struggle or prove ourselves."

Secret U.K. women's codecracking army gets belated recognition for WWII work

Agence France-Presse
April 23, 2024

The women from Newnham College, Cambridge, worked at the secret British codebreaking base at Bletchley Park during World War II

 (Justin TALLIS/AFP)

During World War II, dozens of women Cambridge University students worked around the clock in complete secrecy to crack Nazi codes, but only now are the unsung heroes getting recognition.

At least 77 women from the women-only Newnham College were drafted to Bletchley Park, the code-breaking centre north of London, during the conflict.

It was there that mathematician Alan Turing decoded messages encrypted by the Nazis' Enigma machine, in particular those sent by German U-boats submarines in the North Atlantic.

Historians widely acknowledge that Bletchley played a key role in bringing down Adolf Hitler.

But the story of the Cambridge women has only recently been revealed thanks to research started by Sally Waugh five years ago.

The 69-year-old former Newnham student and teacher said she wanted to highlight the role of women in this period, often ignored in history books.

"Nobody was ever able to say thank you," she told AFP.

"I had no idea that people from Newnham went to work at Bletchley Park".

Then one day, she came across an article mentioning the name of an old friend, Jane Monroe, who died in 2005.


When Monroe, a mathematician from Newnham, was asked what she had done during the war, she replied unfazed: "Oh, I made tea," said Waugh.

"She was in reality a code breaker. She was a friend but she didn't tell me."

Monroe was unable to talk about her role as she had signed the Official Secrets Act, which restricts the publication of government information deemed sensitive.


- D-Day -

The article mentioned three other women, whom Waugh tracked down in the university's archives.

"I thought, if there are four of them, I wonder if there are any more?" she recalled.

In fact, Waugh found around 20 names and then cross-referenced her information with Bletchley Park.

Together they were able to identify almost 80 women.

The only one whose name has so far gone down in history is mathematician Joan Clarke, who was recruited in 1940 and worked with the celebrated Enigma decoder and computer scientist Turing, to whom she was briefly engaged.

She became deputy head of her unit and after the war continued to work in intelligence. Keira Knightley won an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Clarke in the 2014 film "The Imitation Game".

Also on the list is Violet Cane, another mathematician with a gift for statistics. She worked at Bletchley's naval section between 1942 and 1945.

German speaker Elizabeth Langstaff was given the tasks of reconstructing German messages from raw decryptions, interpreting abbreviations and analysing the results over months.

At the end of 2023, a Newnham archivist uncovered a letter dated January 28, 1939, in which the head of the university confirmed to Bletchley Park that "in the event of emergency we should be able to find for you about six students proficient in Modern Languages, in order for work to be carried out at the Foreign Office".

Newnham, which was founded in 1871, eventually sent Bletchley mathematicians, linguists, historians and even archaeologists to analyse aerial photographs.

"Newnham women were represented in most key areas of Bletchley Park's work," Jonathan Byrne, Oral History Officer at Bletchley Park Trust, told AFP.

That included decrypting German signals encrypted by Enigma, producing intelligence reports, understanding the activities of the Nazis by analysing signal networks and studying diplomatic signals.

Around 50 of women were believed to have been on duty on June 6, 1944 -- "D-Day", when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied northern France.

"Although the work they were involved in contributed to Allied planning for the liberation, most would have not known when the invasion was happening," explained Byrne, though some may have suspected.

"German signal traffic in France increased in response to the invasion, making early June 1944 a busy time at Bletchley Park," he explained.

 

First Nations patients leave ED without completing treatment more than comparable non–First Nations patients

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

First Nations patients in Alberta leave emergency departments (EDs) without completing treatment more often than comparable non–First Nations patients, due in part to anti-Indigenous racism expressed by providers, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231019.

Higher proportions of incomplete ED care for First Nations patients compared with non–First Nations patients occurred even in cases of serious diagnosis, and were found across all parts of Alberta. Provincially, 6.8% of First Nations visits end without completing care, compared with 3.7% of non–First Nations visits.

Results from sharing circles with First Nations patients, and interviews with health care providers, show that racism and stereotyping are a reason First Nations patients leave care, which members from Alberta’s White majority do not face. The study also identified that patient–provider communication issues, transportation barriers, long wait times, and perceptions of being made to wait longer than others were additional reasons why First Nations patients leave EDs.

Leaving without completing care matters because it delays needed treatment and interrupts care journeys. About 1 in 20 patients in the study required hospitalization within 72 hours of leaving. We do not know what proportion of patients may miss needed care entirely, because they do not return to the ED.

The work was conducted with the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre and involved 7 other First Nations organizations.

“There are multiple factors that influence the decision to leave the emergency department without being seen. Some of these include how First Nations [patients] are treated while waiting to be seen, such as minimizing and dismissing the urgency of presenting symptoms, feeling unsafe and the use of inappropriate language directed at them while in the emergency department,” explains Lea Bill, RN, executive director of the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre.

“Although leaving care seems like a purely personal decision, more First Nations patients are making that decision than non–First Nations patients. This shows that those personal decisions are actually driven by overarching social factors and health system inequities,” notes Patrick McLane, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.

Higher rates of First Nations patients leaving without completing care is of immediate concern as “crowding continues to worsen in emergency departments across Canada, and the proportion of patients leaving emergency department care has risen in several jurisdictions,” the authors write.

The authors hope that study findings will encourage EDs to work with local First Nations to find ways to reduce disproportionate premature departures from care.

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JOURNAL

Canadian Medical Association Journal

DOI

10.1503/cmaj.231019. 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Leaving emergency departments without completing treatment among First Nations and non–First Nations patients in Alberta: a mixed-methods study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-Apr-2024

 

3 in 5 parents play short order cook for young children who don’t like family meal

Kids’ diets: Just 1 in 3 parents think the standard American diet is healthy but few try alternatives; 1 in 8 pressure kids to eat everything on their plate

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

 

IMAGE: 

PARENTS DESCRIBE THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGES WITH MAKING SURE THEIR CHILD GETS A HEALTHY DIET AS THE CHILD BEING A PICKY EATER, THE HIGHER COST OF HEALTHY FOOD AND FOOD WASTE. FEWER SAY THEY DON’T HAVE TIME TO PREPARE HEALTHY FOOD.

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CREDIT: SARA SCHULTZ, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH C.S. MOTT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NATIONAL POLL ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH

While most parents of preschool and elementary aged children strive to give their children a balanced, nutritional diet, some of their strategies to promote healthy eating may backfire, a national poll suggests.

A top example from the report: Three in five parents customize meals if their child doesn’t like what everyone else is eating.

Meanwhile, one in eight parents require children to eat everything on their plate, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. And while just one in three believe the standard American diet is healthy for kids, few have tried alternative, potentially more nutritional menus at home.

“Feeding young children can be difficult due to general pickiness, hesitancy to try unfamiliar foods and constantly evolving food preferences,” said Mott Poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Susan Woolford, M.D.

“The preschool and elementary age is an important time to establish healthy eating patterns. Yet parents’ concern about whether their child is eating enough or if they’re getting the nutrients they need may lead them to adopt practices that actually sabotage their efforts to get kids to have healthy eating habits in the short and long term.”  

The nationally representative report is based on 1,083 responses of parents of children ages 3-10 surveyed in February.

More on poll findings:

Parents’ beliefs on nutritional diets vary

Just a third of parents think the standard American diet is healthy compared to half who seem to rank the Mediterranean higher in nutritional value. Still, few have tried alternative diets for their child.

“Parents may recognize the standard diet in the U.S. includes high amounts of saturated fats, added sugars, sodium, and refined carbohydrates, which can generate an excess intake of calories beyond nutritional needs and contribute to health problems,” Woolford said.

“However, despite this recognition and evidence suggesting that other diet options may help avoid many illnesses, only about 9% have tried the Mediterranean diet for their children and fewer have tried giving their children a vegetarian diet.”

Parents should ensure children are still getting adequate nutrition if they do try diets that eliminate certain food categories, she adds. Diets that limit animal products, for example, will require alternative protein sources such as meat substitutes, tofu, or legumes for children.

And while ketogenic diets have become popular among adults, they are generally not appropriate for children.

Family dining rules may promote or hinder a child’s healthy diet.

Fifteen percent of parents say their family rule is that kids finish what’s on their plate, while more than half say children must try some of everything and a little less than a third say no to dessert if meals go unfinished.

But parents who try to force kids to eat may encourage portions that go beyond feeling full, Woolford cautions.

“Requiring children to eat everything on their plate, or withholding dessert unless all other foods are eaten, can lead to overconsumption, especially if portion sizes are too large for the child’s age,” she said.

She agrees with the recommendation that “parents provide, and the child decides.” This makes parents responsible for providing healthy options while allowing children to select which foods they will eat and the amount they want to consume.

Parents often play personal chef

Sixty percent of parents will make something separate if their child doesn’t like the food that’s on the dinner table – and this often leads to a less healthy alternative, Woolford says.

“Rather than allowing the child to choose an alternate menu, parents should provide a balanced meal with at least one option that their child is typically willing to eat,” she said.

“Then if their child chooses not to eat, parents should not worry as this will not cause healthy children any harm and they will be more likely to eat the options presented at the next meal.”

She points out that children learn through watching and imitating, so it’s beneficial for parents to model healthy eating through a well-balanced diet while their child’s eating habits and taste preferences mature.

Avoiding snacks between meals may also help children have a better appetite and increase willingness to eat offered foods.

Picky eating and protesting veggies among biggest battles

Parents describe their biggest challenges with making sure their child gets a healthy diet as the child being a picky eater, the higher cost of healthy food and food waste. Fewer say they don’t have time to prepare healthy food.

Nearly all parents polled report trying at least one strategy to get their child to eat vegetables as part of a healthy diet, such as serving vegetables every day, fixing vegetables how their child prefers, trying vegetables their child hasn’t had before and letting children pick out vegetables at the grocery store.

Others involve children with preparing the vegetables, hide vegetables in other foods or offer a reward for finishing vegetables.

“Unsurprisingly, parents said pickiness and getting kids to eat veggies were among major challenges during mealtimes,” Woolford said.   

“Parents should try to include children in meal decisions, avoid pressuring food consumption and provide a variety of healthy options at each meal so kids feel more control.”

Right sizing food may be difficult

Portion size is key to mitigating the risk of childhood obesity, but it can be hard for parents to “right-size” a child portion.

In determining portion size for their child, nearly 70% of parents polled give their child slightly less than adults in the family while fewer let their child choose how much to take, use predetermined portions from the package or give their child the same portions as adults.

Woolford recommends parents seek sources to help. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, for example, provides a visual called “MyPlate” that can help parents estimate the recommended balance of the major food groups and offers guidance on estimating portion size.

Healthy eating starts at the grocery store

When grocery shopping or planning meals, parents polled say they try to limit the amount of certain foods to help their child to maintain a healthy diet, with more than half limiting foods with added sugars and processed foods.

But it may be difficult to identify unhealthy food. Added sugars or processing may be present in foods marketed or packaged as healthy, Woolford says.

Parents should read labels, avoiding the marketing on the front of packages and focusing instead on the details on the back. They should pay particular attention to nutrition information and ingredient lists – especially if they’re long with unrecognizable items – as well as sodium, added sugars, and fat.

Woolford also encourages involving children in grocery trips, spending time in the produce section and asking them what they may like to try.

“Have them help in the process of choosing the healthiest options, not ones that necessarily directly advertise to children, but foods that they are willing to try that are lower in sugar, fat and salt,” she said.

“Spend most of the time in the produce section and try to make it fun by maybe selecting new options from different parts of the world that they haven't tried before.”

 

What do you know about measles and vaccination?

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

With measles cases rising in Canada and internationally, it is important for clinicians to understand the disease and the role of vaccination against measles. Two practice articles in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240415 https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240371

provide succinct overviews of this highly infectious disease. Many clinicians may not have direct experience with measles diagnosis and treatment as Canada achieved measles elimination status in 1998.

“The increase in measles activity globally and in Canada is a reminder of the importance of immunization. Routine childhood vaccines, including measles, that were missed during the COVID-19 pandemic should be urgently caught up. Clinicians should also be on the alert for measles when evaluating patients, especially those with a history of travel or those who might have been exposed in local outbreaks,” says author Dr. Sarah Wilson, a physician at Public Health Ontario.

Measles is one of the most contagious respiratory infectious diseases. Individuals with measles develop fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis. A rash that starts on the face and spreads throughout the body can then follow, about 4 days later. Complications from measles infection are reported in 30% of cases. These can include ear infections, pneumonia, pregnancy complications, and neurologic complications, including encephalitis. Measles can also cause temporary secondary immunodeficiency. Most measles cases in Canada occur in unvaccinated people, especially children.

Given how infectious measles is, health care providers should pre-emptively contact health care facilities if they are referring suspect cases to be evaluated or tested, to ensure that appropriate infection prevention and control measures are used to avoid exposing other patients and staff. 

Despite effective vaccination programs, measles outbreaks are increasing, emphasizing the need for heightened vaccination efforts. The Canadian Immunization Guide recommends the administration of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for all individuals in Canada, with specific dosing schedules and catch-up recommendations.

For travel or outbreaks, MMR vaccination can occur beyond standard schedules, with guidelines provided for accelerated vaccination and postexposure prophylaxis. Adults without measles immunity or vaccination records can receive 1–2 doses of the MMR vaccine, depending on their age, travel history, and risk factors. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. However, individuals with immunocompromised conditions require careful consideration.

“Measles is highly contagious and making a comeback worldwide. The measles vaccine is effective and safe. However, those who are immunocompromised or pregnant are not able to receive it. Herd immunity through mass vaccination is therefore critically important. Our paper summarizes who should get the vaccine outside of the typically recommended schedule, particularly children, who are particularly vulnerable to measles complications. We also provide guidance for adults to receive 1 or more doses of the vaccine, depending on their year of birth, travel or residence in an area affected by outbreaks, and occupation,” says Dr. Samira Jeimy, program director and assistant professor, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Western University, London, Ontario.

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JOURNAL

Canadian Medical Association Journal

DOI

10.1503/cmaj.240415 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Measles and Measles vaccination

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-Apr-2024

 

How do crop–livestock systems transform to Agricultural Green Development in the basin?

HIGHER EDUCATION PRESS

 

IMAGE: 

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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CREDIT: XIAOMENG ZHANG , XIANGWEN FAN , WENQI MA , ZHAOHAI BAI , JIAFA LUO, JING YANG , LING LIU , JIANJIE ZHANG , LIN MA

Excessive nitrogen input into agriculture systems has caused environmental problems such as atmospheric pollution, loss of biodiversity and degradation of water. Meanwhile, the development of intensive animal farming has further caused the separation between crop and livestock sectors, leading to additional hotspot areas prone to pollutant discharge. The nutrient management optimization program also addresses the multi-objective challenges within the food system, incorporating the concept of Agricultural Green Development (AGD). In the pursuit of AGD, the quality of both human living environment (habitation) and the natural environment (including water, air and soil) become highly important. However, when nutrient management aims to simultaneously protect soil, water and the atmosphere, conflicts may arise. These conflicts often result from the complicated interplay between measures targeting air or water loss and the necessary adjustments required in different spatial areas. However, optimized management of crop–livestock systems that use multi-objective zoning is lacking.

Associate Professor Wenqi Ma from Hebei Agricultural University and Professor Lin Ma from Agricultural Resources Research Center, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as their research teams, took the Baiyangdian Basin as a typical case study to establish a multi-objective zoning method, and explore the optimal approach of nutrient management for the green transformation of agricultural in Basins. By using the NUFER (nutrient flows in food chains, environment and resources use) model, quantify the thresholds for these environmental indicators and determine the current levels of environmental emissions in the Baiyangdian Basin; and analyze different scenarios and their potential for reducing environmental impacts, thus realizing AGD.

The study considered a range of environmental indicators that directly impact human health, the production of high-quality goods, and environmental characteristics. And identified four specific indicators, namely ammonia volatilization, surplus nitrogen, soil carrying capacity and ecological red line areas, which are pivotal for optimizing the crop–livestock systems. A correlation between ammonia emission and PM2.5 was established through the utilization of geographically weighted regression analysis. The ammonia volatilization threshold was further calculated according to population density. Nitrogen surplus in the basin was determined by overlaying the grid maps representing slope and river distance in the Baiyangdian Basin. The threshold value of nitrogen surplus is determined by the value of nitrogen in the watershed and the critical value of runoff or leaching in the nitrate vulnerable zone within the county. Soil carrying capacity refers to the ratio of nitrogen excreted by livestock to the nitrogen harvested by crops in the area. The critical value is when the nitrogen excreted by livestock and the nitrogen harvested by crops reach a balance. Then, according to the comparison between the current situation and the threshold value, areas that exceeded the threshold are classified as high, while areas that were below the threshold value are classified as low. Divided into eight categories of areas. Each representing a unique combination of the three indicators, along with one ecological red line area.

To explore ways to optimize nutrient management, three scenarios were developed to evaluate potential emission reductions: (1) CS, the current situation scenario in which a comprehensive assessment of environmental indicators in the Baiyangdian Basin was made based on statistical data; (2) UT, the government’s highly-recommended unified management technology in which the whole region adopts the model of integrating agriculture and livestock, mainly promoted by the state, to facilitate the recycling of nutrients in crop–livestock systems, aiming to reduce nutrient input requirements and promote efficient nutrient recycling; and (3) ZM, a management technology applications based on zoning partition management which is based on the unified policy, targeted emission reduction technologies are employed for zone-specific optimal management based on the distinctive characteristics of each zone. Based on the above results, it can be seen that after implementing UT, the proportion of counties within safe districts increased from 8% to 21%, while the high-risk zone (double-high zone) only decreased by less than 6%. Continuing with further application of ZM, over 55% of the counties in the Baiyangdian Basin have achieved more environmentally-friendly emissions, with all three indicators falling within the threshold values. However, there are still some areas that exceed the safety threshold. Specifically, 10.5% of counties continued to have high ammonia emissions, 18.4% have high nitrogen surplus and 15.8% have both. The multi-objective zonal management optimization approach was more helpful to realize the environmental green emission of the crop–livestock systems in basins.

This system approach not only provides an effective way to address the challenges in Baiyangdian Basin, but also offers a potential way to meet the current challenges in agricultural systems in China, and thereby help the country to transform to a more environmentally-friendly agriculture systems. Agriculture transformed in such a way can protect natural resources, reduce pollution and improve resource use efficiency, while maintaining food security.

This study has been published on the Journal of Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering in Volume 11, Issue 1, 2024, DOI：10.15302/J-FASE-2023533.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering

DOI

10.15302/J-FASE-2023533 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Toward to agricultural green development by multi-objective zoning and nitrogen nutrient management: a case study in the Baiyangdian Basin, China

 

New sensing checks for 3D printed products could overhaul manufacturing sector

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

A sensing technology that can assess the quality of components in fields such as aerospace could transform UK industry.

In the study, published today in the journal Waves in Random and Complex Media, researchers from the University of Bristol have derived a formula that can inform the design boundaries for a given component’s geometry and material microstructure.

A commercially viable sensing technology and associated imaging algorithm to assess the quality of such components currently does not exist. If the additive manufacturing (3D Printing) of metallic components could satisfy the safety and quality standards in industries there could be significant commercial advantages in the manufacturing sector.

The key breakthrough is the use of ultrasonic array sensors, which are essentially the same as those used in medical imaging in, for example, creating images of babies in the womb. However, these new laser based versions would not require the sensor to be in contact with the material.

Author Professor Anthony Mulholland, head of the School of Engineering Maths and Technology, explained: “There is a potential sensing method using a laser based ultrasonic array and we are using mathematical modelling to inform the design of the this equipment ahead of its in situ deployment.”

The team built a mathematical model that incorporated the physics of ultrasonic waves propagating through a layered (as additively manufactured) metallic material, which took into account the variability one gets between each manufactured component. 

The mathematical formula is made up of the design parameters associated with the ultrasonic laser and the nature of the particular material. The output is a measure of how much information will be produced by the sensor to enable the mechanical integrity of the component to be assessed.  The input parameters can then be varied to maximise this information content.

It is hoped their discovery will accelerate the design and deployment of this proposed solution to this manufacturing opportunity. 

Professor Mullholland added: “We can then work with our industry partners to produce a means of assessing the mechanical integrity of these safety critical components at the manufacturing stage. 

“This could then lead to radically new designs (by taking full advantage of 3D printing), quicker and more cost effective production processes, and significant commercial and economic advantage to UK manufacturing.”

Now the team plan to use the findings to help their experimental collaborators who are designing and building the laser based ultrasonic arrays.

These sensors will then be deployed in situ by robotic arms in a controlled additive manufacturing environment. They will maximise the information content in the data produced by the sensor and create bespoke imaging algorithms to generate tomographic images of the interior of components supplied by their industry partners. Destructive means will then be employed to assess the quality of the tomographic images produced.

Professor Mullholland concluded: “Opening up 3D printing in the manufacture of safety critical components, such as those found in the aerospace industry, would provide significant commercial advantage to UK industry. 

“The lack of a means of assessing the mechanical integrity of such components is the major blockage in taking this exciting opportunity forward.  This study has built a mathematical model that simulates the use of a new laser based sensor, that could provide the solution to this problem, and this study will accelerate the sensor’s design and deployment.”

 

Paper:

‘A probabilistic approach to modelling ultrasonic shear wave propagation in locally anisotropic heterogeneous media’ by A.S Ferguson, K.M.M Tant, M Foondun and A.J Mulholland in Waves in Random and Complex Media.

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JOURNAL

Waves in Random and Complex Media

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A probabilistic approach to modelling ultrasonic shear wave propagation in locally anisotropic heterogeneous media’

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Apr-2024

Feedback loop that is melting ice shelves in West Antarctica revealed

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

New research has uncovered a feedback loop that may be accelerating the melting of the floating portions of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, pushing up global sea levels.

The study, published in Science Advances, sheds new light on the mechanisms driving the melting of ice shelves beneath the surface of the ocean, which have been unclear until now.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet has been losing mass in recent decades, contributing to global sea level rise. If it were to melt entirely, global sea levels would rise by around five meters.

It’s known that Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), a water mass that is up to 4°C above local freezing temperatures, is flowing beneath the ice shelves in West Antarctica and melting them from below. Since so much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet lies below sea level, it is particularly vulnerable to this warm water intrusion and may further retreat in the future.

Previous observations and models have revealed that eastward undercurrents are transporting this warm water to cavities under the ice shelves. Despite its significance, the mechanism driving this undercurrent has remained elusive.

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato, from the University of Southampton, a coauthor of the paper, says: “Our findings suggest a positive feedback loop: as the ice shelf melts more rapidly, more freshwater is produced, leading to a stronger undercurrent and more heat being transported toward the ice shelves.”

“This cycle could speed up the melting of ice shelves, potentially making the West Antarctic Ice Sheet less stable in the future."

Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, MIT and the University of Southampton, used high-resolution simulations to investigate the dynamics of the undercurrent.

Dr Alessandro Silvano from the University of Southampton, a coauthor on the study, said: “These simulations reveal that this deep current conveying warm waters toward the ice shelves is driven by the very same ice shelf melting that such warm waters cause.”

Their models suggest that when the warm CDW interacts with the ice shelf, it melts the ice and mixes with the lighter, melted freshwater.

This water then rises through the layers of water above it. As it does, it spreads out and stretches the layer of CDW vertically. This stretching creates a swirling motion in the water.

If there's a trough (a kind of underwater valley) near the coast, this swirling motion is then carried away from the ice shelf cavity toward the edge of the shelf by the movement of pressure within the water. This movement helps drive a current along the slope of the seafloor, directing more warm water toward the ice shelf.

The underwater current forms a bit farther away from the ice shelf, so as more ice melts, the current gets stronger, carrying even more warm water toward the ice shelf.

Dr Silvano added: “Scientific models that don't include the cavities under ice shelves are probably overlooking this positive feedback loop. Our results suggest it's an important factor that could affect how quickly ice shelves melt and how stable the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is over time.”

Antarctic Slope Undercurrent and onshore heat transport driven by ice shelf melting is published in Science Advances and is available online.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Natural Environment Research Council.

Ends

Contact

Steve Williams, Media Manager, University of Southampton, press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212.

Notes for editors

1. Antarctic Slope Undercurrent and onshore heat transport driven by ice shelf melting is published in Science Advances and is available here: https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.adl0601
2. For Interviews with Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato and Dr Alessandro Silvano please contact Steve Williams, Media Manager, University of Southampton press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212.

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JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adl0601 

ARTICLE TITLE

Antarctic Slope Undercurrent and onshore heat transport driven by ice shelf melting

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Apr-2024

COI STATEMENT

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

 

Toward a unified theory for dynamics of glassy materials

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: 

A SCALING RELATION BETWEEN THE NEW THEORETICAL ORDER PARAMETER IS DMIN AND THE RELAXATION DAMPING PHASE ANGLE (ALSO KNOWN AS INTERNAL FRICTION IN MATERIALS SCIENCES). THE DATA COVER 5 ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE IN TIMESCALE.

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CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

In the realm of disorder and amorphous systems, such as oxide glasses utilized in display technologies and the cryogenic preservation of biological materials, there exists a substantial body of contemporary scientific and technological exploration. A distinguishing feature of disordered materials is the presence of intricate dynamic behaviors, known as relaxation processes, which span from atomic vibrations on the picosecond timescale to aging and densification processes that can extend over thousands of years. These relaxation processes play a pivotal role in shaping the diverse properties of glassy materials. Recent research in the field of glass science has brought to light a variety of specific dynamic phenomena within glassy materials, prompting researchers to seek a unifying principle that can elucidate these processes across a wide spectrum of materials.

Hai-Bin Yu from Huazhong University of China and Konrad Samwer from the University of Gottingen recognized the absence of a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding relaxation dissipation in disordered systems. Rising to the challenge, they proposed an novel perspective to tackle this issue. While previous studies typically delved into the relaxation dynamics of individual particles within glassy materials, Yu and Samwer opted to view the system as a whole, focusing on the overarching patterns of inherent structures. This novel approach sheds light on the complex challenges in the field. Embracing this concept, they introduced a global order parameter, termed the inherent structure minimal displacement (IS Dmin), to measure the variability of configurations using a pattern-matching methodology.

By conducting atomic simulations on seven model glass-forming liquids, they were able to unify the impacts of temperature, pressure, and perturbation time on relaxation dissipation through a scaling law linking the mechanical damping factor to IS Dmin. They elucidated that this scaling law is a reflection of the curvature of the local potential energy landscape. Consequently, they successfully identified a universal foundation for glassy relaxation, proposing that the variability of configurations, as quantified by IS Dmin  uniquely determines the relaxation damping.

This landmark work not only presents an innovative approach to studying disordered systems but also serves as an inspiration, showcasing the potential of advanced pattern-matching techniques as potent tools for analyzing complex systems.

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See the article:

Universal origin of glassy relaxation as recognized by configuration pattern-matching

https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwae091

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JOURNAL

National Science Review

DOI

10.1093/nsr/nwae091