Radio-frequency interference (RFI) presents a significant obstacle to current radio interferometry experiments aimed at the Epoch of Reionization. RFI contamination is often several orders of magnitude brighter than the astrophysical signals of interest, necessitating highly precise identification and flagging. Although existing RFI flagging tools have achieved some success, the pervasive nature of this contamination leads to the rejection of excessive data volumes. In this work, we present a way to estimate an RFI emitter’s altitude using near-field corrections. Being able to obtain the precise location of such an emitter could shift the strategy from merely flagging to subtracting or peeling the RFI, allowing us to preserve a higher fraction of usable data. We conduct a preliminary study using a two-minute observation from the Murchison-Widefield Array (MWA) in which an unknown object briefly crosses the field of view, reflecting RFI signals into the array. By applying near-field corrections that bring the object into focus, we are able to estimate its approximate altitude and speed to be $11.7$ km and 792 km/h, respectively. This allows us to confidently conclude that the object in question is in fact an airplane. We further validate our technique through the analysis of two additional RFI-containing MWA observations, where we are consistently able to identify airplanes as the source of the interference.

This study explored how second language (L2) speakers’ use of multiword sequences in speech predicted perceived fluency ratings while controlling for their utterance fluency. A total of 102 Japanese speakers of English delivered an argumentative speech, which was analyzed for bigram and trigram measures (frequency, proportion, and mutual information) and utterance fluency measures capturing three subdimensions: speed, breakdown, and repair fluency (Tavakoli & Skehan, 2005). Perceived fluency was assessed by 10 experienced L2 raters. Mixed-effects regression analyses revealed that after establishing the parsimonious model solely by UF predictors (marginal R2 = .61), a frequency-based n-gram predictor––bigram proportion––slightly but significantly explained the remaining variance of fluency rating scores (0.8%). The results indicated that multiword sequences in speech had a small but systematic impact on perceived fluency, even controlling for the effects of utterance fluency. This finding contributes to the discussion concerning the role of multiword sequences in fluent speech production.

Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) are often short/lightweight relative to peers. Limited growth, particularly height, may reflect energy deficits impacting physical activity. Latent class analyses of growth from birth and Bruce treadmill exercise data retrospectively identified for height, weight, and body mass index z-scores growth trajectories. Linear regression models examined exercise parameters by growth trajectory, adjusting for age/sex/CHD severity. A total of 213 children with CHD (39% female, 12.1 ± 2.9 years) achieved 85.8 ± 10.1% of the predicted peak heart rate. Peak heart rate among children whose height was consistently below average (class 1) was 15.2 ± 4.9 beats/min lower than children with other height trajectories. These children also attained a lower percentage of predicted peak heart rate. Children whose weight (p = 0.03) or body mass index (p < 0.001) z-score increased throughout childhood had significantly lower exercise duration (mean difference 1–2 min) than children whose growth trajectories were stable or declined. Children with above-average weight or an increasing body mass index also used a higher percentage of their heart rate reserve at each submaximal exercise stage. A very low height z-score trajectory is associated with decreased exercise capacity that may increase the risk for morbidities associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Future studies should examine potential mechanisms for the observed height deficits, such as an inadequate energy supply that could impact physical activity participation, congestive heart failure, cyanosis, pubertal stage, supplemental feeding history, or familial growth patterns. Prospective studies examining growth in relation to objective measures of daily physical activity are required.

This re-evaluation of the Thetford hoard proposes a new date for its burial in the 5th c. CE (ca. 420s–40s), significantly later than the established date of the 380s–90s. The redating is based on comparative material from context-dated grave and hoard finds from across the western Roman Empire. At least 17 hoard artifacts are argued to have been made within the 5th c. The Thetford treasure is a key point of reference in dating artifacts, and therefore a new date, if accepted, will prompt further re-evaluation of material and significantly change our understanding of this key transition period.

The interpretation of the hoard is also revisited. The wide cultural connections that can be demonstrated in the jewelry reflect its assembly in a period of migration and displacement, and there is evidence that its economic value may have become paramount in the latest phase of the assemblage's use. Moreover, the revised date sets a new context for the hoard burial, after economic collapse and political breakdown in Britain. The article advocates for the potential role of wealthy religious sites like Thetford in filling the vacuum left by the collapse of Roman state authority in Britain.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) remains controversial. We reviewed patients diagnosed with VUR after an index urinary tract infection (UTI) who subsequently received antibiotic prophylaxis. Recurrent UTIs in patients with and without urologic anomalies occurred in 57% and 33%, respectively. Multidrug-resistant organisms accounted for 25% of first UTI recurrences.

Public opinion surveys are vital for informing democratic decision-making, but responding to rapidly changing information environments and measuring beliefs within hard-to-reach communities can be challenging for traditional survey methods. This paper introduces a crowdsourced adaptive survey methodology (CSAS) that unites advances in natural language processing and adaptive algorithms to produce surveys that evolve with participant input. The CSAS method converts open-ended text provided by participants into survey items and applies a multi-armed bandit algorithm to determine which questions should be prioritized in the survey. The method’s adaptive nature allows new survey questions to be explored and imposes minimal costs in survey length. Applications in the domains of misinformation, issue salience, and local politics showcase CSAS’s ability to identify topics that might otherwise escape the notice of survey researchers. I conclude by highlighting CSAS’s potential to bridge conceptual gaps between researchers and participants in survey research.

How elected representatives think about public opinion affects the degree to which policies are congruent with the public’s policy preferences. This is especially true for politicians occupying leadership positions, their perceptions matter even more. Extant work concluded that politicians in general do not exhibit a high perceptual accuracy, but direct evidence of the relative accuracy of leaders’ perceptions of public opinion is missing. Drawing on surveys among politicians and citizens in four countries, this study examines the accuracy of the public opinion perceptions of leaders and backbenchers. Irrespective of how leadership is defined and operationalized – executive or party leadership, formal or informal leadership, current or past leadership – we find low perceptual accuracy levels among leading politicians. Compared to backbenchers, and although politicians themselves consider leaders to have a special nose for public opinion, leading politicians do not possess a special public opinion rating skill.

Public dissertations allow doctoral students to engage a broader audience that is often already having conversations about our research topics, whether explicitly or not. The traditional dissertation is usually read by the committee (if you are lucky) and the author. Public projects allow early-career scholars to expand their marketability, relate their abstract topics to concrete discussions, and adapt to the changing demands of the academic space. This article includes a brief case study of the author’s public dissertation to suggest possible avenues for current graduate students and faculty mentors, along with a frank discussion about the pros and cons of such a project. Six tips provide a frank discussion of the pros and cons of such a project and possibilities for graduate students interested in a public project to consider.

This article examines China’s outward investment in the European automotive industry since the late twentieth century. By mapping and analyzing the main investment operations, we argue that private companies played a key role in the internationalization of the Chinese automotive sector. Chinese state-owned enterprises took part, especially in the initial stages of international expansion. Our contribution also analyzes the pattern of internationalization followed by Chinese companies, arguing that it differed from the one followed by well-established automotive firms in advanced economies during previous decades. The findings reveal that achieving the most advanced technology was the key driver of outward investment decisions. However, Chinese investors’ strategy was not uniform; it was flexible and varied significantly depending on the European country and the size of the company targeted. Furthermore, Chinese government industrial policies greatly influenced the international strategies of both state-owned and private companies, particularly the “Go Out” policy.

We surveyed hand hygiene auditors to identify barriers to healthcare worker hand hygiene compliance in our health system. Most auditors reported being comfortable providing staff feedback on hand hygiene practices; however, there was substantial variability in their comfort level based on the occupation of the staff member receiving feedback.