Showing papers by "University of York published in 2022"

The Human Lineage

Abstract: Preface. Chapter 1 The Fossil Record. Changing Ideas about the Changing Earth. Neptune vs. Vulcan. A Brief Guide to Sedimentology. Dating the Rocks. The Succession of Faunas. Radiation-Based Dating Techniques. Other Dating Techniques. Dating Based on the Cycles of the Earth. The Problem of Orogeny. Continental Drift. Life: The First Three Billion Years. Multicellular Life. The Cambrian Revolution. Jaws, Fins, and Feet. The Reptilian Revolutions. The Two Great Extinctions. The Mammals Take Over. Chapter 2 Analyzing Evolution. Parsimony and Pigeons. Darwin's Theory. Problems with Darwinism. The Concept of Species. Evidence for Anagenesis and Cladogenesis. The Tempo of Speciation. Semispecies, Hybrids, and Isolating Mechanisms. "Races". Species and Fossils. Morphospecies. Microevolution and Macroevolution. The Politics of Macroevolution. Reconstructing the Tree of Life. Sources of Error in Phylogenetics. Linnaean Classification. Evolutionary Systematics. Phenetics and Cladistics. Pros and Cons of Phylogenetic Systematics. Chapter 3 People As Primates. Early Mammals. Allometry. Allometry and Early Mammals. Death and Molar Occlusion. Allometry, Motherhood, and Milk. Respiration and the Palate. The Tribosphenic Molar. Live Birth and Placentation. Cretaceous Mammals. The Order Primates. The Living Strepsirrhines. Anthropoid Apomorphies: Ears, Eyes, and Noses. Tarsiers. Platyrrhines: The New World Anthropoids. Cercopithecoids: The Old World Monkeys. Hominoids: The Living Apes. Pongids and Hominids. Bonobos and Chimpanzees. Humans vs. Apes: Skulls and Teeth. Primate Origins: The Crown Group. Fossil Primates: The Stem Group. The First Fossil Euprimates. Eocene "Lemurs" and "Tarsiers". The First Anthropoids. Anthropoid Radiations. Chapter 4 The Bipedal Ape. Being Human vs. Becoming Human. The Taung Child. Australopithecus Grows Up. Bipedal Posture and the Vertebral Column. Bipedal Posture and the Pelvis. Bipedal Locomotion: Knees. Bipedal Locomotion: The Hip Joint. Bipedal Locomotion: Feet. Australopithecus Stands Up. The Skull of Australopithecus africanus. Australopithecus robustus. Man-Apes, Just Plain Apes, or Weird Apes? Postcranial Peculiarities. Louis Leakey and East Africa. Olduvai Gorge. Sahelanthropus : The Oldest Hominin? Mio-Pliocene Enigmas: Orrorin and Ardipithecus. Australopithecus anamensis. Australopithecus afarensis. Lucy's Locomotion: The View from Stony Brook. Lucy's Locomotion: The Rebuttal. Lucy's Locomotion: Persistent Questions. Australopithecus bahrelghazali ? Australopithecus platyops ? Australopithecus garhi. Australopithecus aethiopicus. Australopithecus boisei. Fitting in South Africa: The Problem(s) of Sterkfontein. Fitting in South Africa: Some robustus Questions. The Phylogeny of Australopithecus. What Did Australopithecus Eat? Australopithecus and the Ecosystem. Two Species or Two Sexes? Hunting, Gathering, and Dimorphism. Dinichism: A Possible Synthesis. Explaining Hominin Origins. Primitive Homo -Or "Advanced" Australopithecus ? Dating and Geological Context of the Habilines from Olduvai, Omo, and Koobi Fora. Habiline Skulls. Habiline Teeth. Habiline Postcranial Remains. Advanced Australopithecus : The Frustrations of Variation. Advanced Australopithecus : Back to South Africa. Advanced Australopithecus or Early Homo ? Phylogenetic Issues. Chapter 5 The Migrating Ape: Homo erectus and Human Evolution. The "Muddle in the Middle". A Brief History of Homo erectus : 1889-1950. Later Discoveries in Africa and Eurasia. Erectine Chronology and Geographic Distribution. Cranial Vault Morphology of Homo erectus. Cranial Capacity and the Brain. Faces and Mandibles of Asian Homo erectus. The Erectine Dentition. Erectine Postcranial Remains. Early African Erectine Skulls and the Ergaster Question. Early African Erectine Postcranial Morphology. Early Erectine Adaptations: Anatomy and Physiology. Early Erectine Adaptations: The Archaeological Evidence. Patterns of Development and Evolutionary Change in Erectines. Early Erectine Radiations in Africa. Out of Africa I: The Erectine Radiation. Indonesian Erectines and the Specter of "Meganthropus". Chinese Erectines. Dmanisi-Humans at the Periphery of Europe. The Initial Occupation of Europe. Major Issues: A Summing Up. Taxonomy. Dates and Additional Evidence. Evolutionary Patterns. Chapter 6 The Big-Brained Ape: Regional Variation and Evolutionary Trends in the Middle Pleistocene. Of "Archaic Homo sapiens " and Homo heidelbergensis. Early Models of Later Human Evolution. The Recent African Origin Model. The Multiregional Evolution Model. European Heidelbergs. Petralona. Bilzingsleben. Swanscombe. Steinheim. Mauer. Boxgrove. Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos. Other European Heidelbergs. African Heidelbergs. Kabwe. Bodo and Ndutu. African Heidelberg Mandibles. Other African Heidelbergs. North Africans. Asian Heidelbergs? Mugharet El-Zuttiyeh. Other West Asian Candidates. South Asia. East Asia. Australasia. Ngandong. Liang Bua. Supraorbital Tori, Chins, and Projecting Faces. Major Issues: Speciation, Migration, and Regional Continuity. Chapter 7 Talking Apes: The Neandertals. Neandertals-Early Discoveries and Ideas (1829-1909). Ideas about Neandertals-From Boule to the 21st Century. Neandertal Chronology and Distribution. Neandertal Morphology-The Cranial Vault. Frontal Bones. Occipital Bones. Temporal Bones. Brains. Neandertal Faces. External Nose. Prognathism. Internal Nose. Neandertal Mandibles. Neandertal Dentition. Body Size and Proportions. Neck and Upper Limb. Pelvis and Lower Limb. Neandertal Life History. Neandertal Genetics. Neandertal Technology. Diet and Subsistence Behavior. Neandertals and Language. Symbolic Behavior. Early European Neandertals. Wurm Neandertals from Western Europe. Western and Central Asian Neandertals. Late Neandertals. Major Issues. Chapter 8 The Symbolic Ape: The Origin of Modern Humans. A "Creative Explosion"? Modern Human Anatomy-The Skull. Modern Human Anatomy-Cranial Capacity. Modern Human Anatomy-The Postcranial Skeleton. The Geochronology of Modern Human Origins. The African Transition: Background and Dating. The African Transition: Vault Morphology. The African Transition: Facial Morphology. The African Transition: Additional Bones, Archaeology, and Other Matters. East Asian Archaic Humans: Background and Context. East Asian Archaic Sites and Specimens. Jinniushan. Maba. Other Cranial Pieces. Dentition. East Asian Archaics: Continuity or Someone New? Early Modern Humans: The East African Record. Out of (East) Africa: Early Modern People in North and South Africa. The First Modern People Outside Africa: The Near Eastern Evidence. African and Circum-Mediterranean Gene Flow and Modern Human Origins. Modern Human Origins in East Asia. Modern Human Origins in Australasia. Europe: The Last Frontier. Recent Human Genetics and Modern Human Origins. Ancient DNA in Early Modern Humans. Modern Human Origins: The Models vs. the Facts. The Recent African Origin Model. Alternative Views-Multiregional Evolution. Alternative Views-The Assimilation Model. Assimilation and Interactions Between Modern and Archaic Humans. Appendix: Cranial Measurements. Bibliography. Index.

Power-Rating Balance Control and Reliability Enhancement in Mismatched Photovoltaic Differential Power Processing Systems

Abstract: With the increase of the component number, the power stress distribution among differential power processing (DPP) converters, control implementation, system cost, and reliability become the most challenging issues for a practical photovoltaic (PV) DPP system. This article introduces an improved power-rating balance (IPRB) control for the PV-to-bus based DPP architecture that ensures each PV submodule operate at its true maximum power point (MPP) while achieving more balanced power stress distribution and higher reliability. Specifically, a submodule-level finite-state-machine-based MPP tracking is implemented to guarantee always maximum power yield, whereas a string-level power-rating balancing (PRB) control is adopted to balance the unit-maximum proceeded power by DPP converters based on the built power flow model with respect to the string current. A comprehensive comparison of advanced control strategies for PV-to-bus DPP architectures, including least power point tracking, voltage equalization (VE) based PRB control, and the proposed IPRB, has been carried out with the mission-profile-based reliability assessment under different partial shading scenarios. Component-failure-rate-based reliability analysis shows that the PV-to-bus DPP architecture with the proposed IPRB control can significantly improve the system reliability. Main simulation and experimental evaluations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control.

Root exudate chemistry affects soil carbon mobilization via microbial community reassembly

Abstract: Plant roots are one of the major mediators that allocate carbon captured from the atmosphere to soils as rhizodeposits, including root exudates. Although rhizodeposition regulates both microbial activity and the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, the effects of particular exudate species on soil carbon fluxes and key rhizosphere microorganisms remain unclear. By combining high-throughput sequencing, q-PCR, and NanoSIMS analyses, we characterized the bacterial community structure, quantified total bacteria depending on root exudate chemistry, and analyzed the consequences on the mobility of mineral-protected carbon. Using well-controlled incubation experiments, we showed that the three most abundant groups of root exudates (amino acids, carboxylic acids, and sugars) have contrasting effects on the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bioavailable Fe in an Ultisol through the disruption of organo-mineral associations and the alteration of bacterial communities, thus priming organic matter decomposition in the rhizosphere. High resolution (down to 50 nm) NanoSIMS images of mineral particles indicated that iron and silicon co-localized significantly more organic carbon following amino acid inputs than treatments without exudates or with carboxylic acids. The application of sugar strongly reduced microbial diversity without impacting soil carbon mobilization. Carboxylic acids increased the prevalence of Actinobacteria and facilitated carbon mobilization, whereas amino acid addition increased the abundances of Proteobacteria that prevented DOC release. In summary, root exudate functions are defined by their chemical composition that regulates bacterial community composition and, consequently, the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in the rhizosphere.

Challenges in the Safety-Security Co-Assurance of Collaborative Industrial Robots

Abstract: The coordinated assurance of interrelated critical properties, such as system safety and cyber-security, is one of the toughest challenges in critical systems engineering. In this chapter, we summarise approaches to the coordinated assurance of safety and security. Then, we highlight the state of the art and recent challenges in human–robot collaboration in manufacturing both from a safety and security perspective. We conclude with a list of procedural and technological issues to be tackled in the coordinated assurance of collaborative industrial robots.

Understanding Long Covid: Nosology, social attitudes and stigma.

Abstract: The debate around Long Covid has so far shown resistance to accept parallels between Long Covid and a set of existing conditions which have historically been subject to stigma. This resistance risks endorsing the stigma associated with such existing conditions, and as such, these dynamics of stigma ought to be dismantled in order to facilitate the development of effective clinical resources for all such implicated conditions. As well as affecting proceedings at the structural level, I discuss how the aforementioned problems also risk affecting patients at the personal level by motivating the reconfiguration and restriction of patient illness narratives. The problems I identify therefore risk affecting both collective and individual understanding of Long Covid.

Why are rhizobial symbiosis genes mobile

Abstract: Rhizobia are one of the most important and best studied groups of bacterial symbionts. They are defined by their ability to establish nitrogen-fixing intracellular infections within plant hosts. On...

Living Systematic Reviews

Abstract: Systematic reviews are difficult to keep up to date, but failure to do so leads to poor review currency and accuracy. "Living systematic review" (LSR) is an approach that aims to continually update a review, incorporating relevant new evidence as it becomes available. LSRs may be particularly important in fields where research evidence is emerging rapidly, current evidence is uncertain, and new research may change policy or practice decisions.This chapter describes the concept and processes of living systematic reviews. It describes the general principles of LSRs, when they might be of particular value, and how their procedures differ from conventional systematic reviews. The chapter focuses particularly on two methods of sequential meta-analysis that may be particularly useful for LSRs: Trial Sequential Analysis and Sequential Meta-Analysis, which both control for Type I error, Type II error (failing to detect a genuine effect) and take account of heterogeneity.

Quantification and assessment of methane emissions from offshore oil and gas facilities on the Norwegian continental shelf

Abstract: Abstract. The oil and gas (O&G) sector is a significant source of methane (CH4) emissions. Quantifying these emissions remains challenging, with many studies highlighting discrepancies between measurements and inventory-based estimates. In this study, we present CH4 emission fluxes from 21 offshore O&G facilities collected in 10 O&G fields over two regions of the Norwegian continental shelf in 2019. Emissions of CH4 derived from measurements during 13 aircraft surveys were found to range from 2.6 to 1200 t yr−1 (with a mean of 211 t yr−1 across all 21 facilities). Comparing this with aggregated operator-reported facility emissions for 2019, we found excellent agreement (within 1σ uncertainty), with mean aircraft-measured fluxes only 16 % lower than those reported by operators. We also compared aircraft-derived fluxes with facility fluxes extracted from a global gridded fossil fuel CH4 emission inventory compiled for 2016. We found that the measured emissions were 42 % larger than the inventory for the area covered by this study, for the 21 facilities surveyed (in aggregate). We interpret this large discrepancy not to reflect a systematic error in the operator-reported emissions, which agree with measurements, but rather the representativity of the global inventory due to the methodology used to construct it and the fact that the inventory was compiled for 2016 (and thus not representative of emissions in 2019). This highlights the need for timely and up-to-date inventories for use in research and policy. The variable nature of CH4 emissions from individual facilities requires knowledge of facility operational status during measurements for data to be useful in prioritising targeted emission mitigation solutions. Future surveys of individual facilities would benefit from knowledge of facility operational status over time. Field-specific aggregated emissions (and uncertainty statistics), as presented here for the Norwegian Sea, can be meaningfully estimated from intensive aircraft surveys. However, field-specific estimates cannot be reliably extrapolated to other production fields without their own tailored surveys, which would need to capture a range of facility designs, oil and gas production volumes, and facility ages. For year-on-year comparison to annually updated inventories and regulatory emission reporting, analogous annual surveys would be needed for meaningful top-down validation. In summary, this study demonstrates the importance and accuracy of detailed, facility-level emission accounting and reporting by operators and the use of airborne measurement approaches to validate bottom-up accounting.

The Quest for Acceptance: A Blog-Based Study of Autistic Women's Experiences and Well-Being During Autism Identification and Diagnosis

Abstract: Background: Although studies have found that autism is underdiagnosed in women and that autistic women have poorer well-being outcomes than men, less is known about autistic women's experiences with self-identification or diagnosis or how they feel such experiences affect their mental health. Methods: We explored autistic women's experiences of coming to recognize and understand themselves as autistic. We used data collected from blogs written by autistic women about their diagnostic or self-identification experiences. We were particularly interested in well-being, and how this contributed to, was affected by, and interacted with the identification and diagnostic process. We used thematic analysis to explore and document experiences described in blogs from 20 blogsites (representing the views of 23 autistic women). Results: Acceptance was a central issue. We developed themes of self-understanding and self-acceptance, being understood and accepted by others (including peers, clinicians, and others in the autism community), and the exhaustion resulting from trying to be accepted and be understood. These issues arose both when going through the diagnostic process, and after receiving a formal diagnosis. Conclusions: Diagnosis and identification may have both positive and negative effects on autistic women's well-being, with women often describing difficulties after diagnosis as stemming from facing male stereotypes of autism. We consider the implications of our findings for clinicians, researchers, and those who work with autistic women. Research shows that autistic women are under-recognized and underdiagnosed. This can lead to a lack of support. Other research indicates worse mental health outcomes in autism. Exploring the perspectives of autistic women could help us understand how diagnosis may relate to mental well-being. This study examined the experiences of autistic women. We focused on well-being, mental health, and the role of diagnosis. We wanted to gain insight into how to support autistic women to achieve positive well-being. The researchers read blogs from 20 blogsites, reflecting the views and experiences of 23 autistic women. Women were either self-identifying or clinically diagnosed. The researchers then used a qualitative research technique called “thematic analysis” to summarize what women often said about well-being and diagnosis. Acceptance and feelings of belonging were important. We developed three themes: (1) self-understanding and self-acceptance, (2) being understood and accepted by others, and (3) exhaustion. Study participants felt that diagnosis often helped them understand their needs and be kinder to themselves. Diagnosis also helped women make sense of what had happened to them in the past. Finally, it helped them connect with a community, and improved relationships. However, stereotypes of autism affected women's own acceptance of their diagnosis. In some cases, feelings that they did not fit an autism diagnosis led to imposter syndrome. They described the struggle for acceptance, before and after their autism diagnosis, as exhausting. They felt this exhaustion came from trying to hide their difficulties or having to explain why they did not fit stereotypes. These findings support research that has identified high levels of exhaustion in autistic women due to trying to hide their difficulties and conform to societal expectations. Our findings suggest that acceptance is important for autistic women's well-being after their diagnosis. Facing a lack of acceptance from others could impact on women's self-acceptance. This could disrupt the positive effects a diagnosis has for women's well-being. In their blogs, women were remembering their experiences. Therefore, time may have impacted these women's views, and changed what is important to them. Our sample was limited as it did not include women who publicly identified as having intellectual disabilities, it only contained adult women (mainly aged 20–50 years), and it did not include nonbinary individuals. Experiences of autistic women who write blogs may be different from those of other autistic women. We suggest that when women seek diagnosis, acknowledgment of the difficulties they have faced coping without the recognition of being autistic is crucial. Clinicians should be aware that women may mask their difficulties, and they should avoid minimizing underlying problems. This study suggests that challenging the stereotypes associated with autism and educating professionals about autism in women are highly important. Women may benefit from support after diagnosis that helps them to manage experiences of being told they do not appear autistic, or do not fit people's expectations of autism.

Assessment of the Potential Ecotoxicological Effects of Pharmaceuticals in the World's Rivers

Abstract: During their production, use, and disposal, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are released into aquatic systems. Because they are biologically active molecules, APIs have the potential to adversely affect nontarget organisms. We used the results of a global monitoring study of 61 APIs alongside available ecotoxicological and pharmacological data to assess the potential ecotoxicological effects of APIs in rivers across the world. Approximately 43.5% (461 sites) of the 1052 sampling locations monitored across 104 countries in a recent global study had concentrations of APIs of concern based on apical, nonapical, and mode of action-related endpoints. Approximately 34.1% of the 137 sampling campaigns had at least one location where concentrations were of ecotoxicological concern. Twenty-three APIs occurred at concentrations exceeding "safe" concentrations, including substances from the antidepressant, antimicrobial, antihistamine, β-blocker, anticonvulsant, antihyperglycemic, antimalarial, antifungal, calcium channel blocker, benzodiazepine, painkiller, progestin, and lifestyle compound classes. At the most polluted sites, effects are predicted on different trophic levels and on different endpoint types. Overall, the results show that API pollution is a global problem that is likely negatively affecting the health of the world's rivers. To meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, work is urgently needed to tackle the problem and bring concentrations down to an acceptable level. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2008-2020. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Detecting a viewer's familiarity with a face: Evidence from event-related brain potentials and classifier analyses.

Abstract: Human observers recognise the faces of people they know efficiently and without apparent effort. Consequently, recognising a familiar face is often assumed to be an automatic process beyond voluntary control. However, there are circumstances in which a person might seek to hide their recognition of a particular face. The present study therefore used event-related potentials (ERPs) and a classifier based on logistic regression to determine if it is possible to detect whether a viewer is familiar with a particular face, regardless of whether the participant is willing to acknowledge it or not. In three experiments, participants were presented with highly variable “ambient” images of personally familiar and unfamiliar faces, while performing an incidental butterfly detection task (Experiment 1), an explicit familiarity judgment task (Experiment 2), and a concealed familiarity task in which they were asked to deny familiarity with one truly known facial identity while acknowledging familiarity with a second known identity (Experiment 3). In all three experiments, we observed substantially more negative ERP amplitudes at occipito-temporal electrodes for familiar relative to unfamiliar faces starting approximately 200 ms after stimulus onset. Both the earlier N250 familiarity effect, reflecting visual recognition of a known face, and the later Sustained Familiarity Effect (SFE), reflecting the integration of visual with additional identity-specific information, were similar across experiments and thus independent of task demands. These results were further supported by the classifier analysis. We conclude that ERP correlates of familiar face recognition are largely independent of voluntary control and discuss potential applications in forensic settings.

A semiclassical singularity theorem

Abstract: Abstract Quantum fields do not satisfy the pointwise energy conditions that are assumed in the original singularity theorems of Penrose and Hawking. Accordingly, semiclassical quantum gravity lies outside their scope. Although a number of singularity theorems have been derived under weakened energy conditions, none is directly derived from quantum field theory. Here, we employ a quantum energy inequality satisfied by the quantized minimally coupled linear scalar field to derive a singularity theorem valid in semiclassical gravity. By considering a toy cosmological model, we show that our result predicts timelike geodesic incompleteness on plausible timescales with reasonable conditions at a spacelike Cauchy surface.