https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5mizSrXExZWZepttd6TEdb https://cassyni.com/events/5mizSrXExZWZepttd6TEdb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WKvQcLD8LbTaozdp6tJPbU https://cassyni.com/events/5mizSrXExZWZepttd6TEdb?videoPreview=1 Presentation of EAJ Issue 12/1 - June 27thnohttps://cassyni.com/events/5mizSrXExZWZepttd6TEdb?videoPreview=12022-06-27T14:00:00+00:002602.32European Actuarial JournalAfter scrutinizing technical, legal, financial, and actuarial aspects of cyber risk, a new approach for modelling cyber risk using marked point processes is proposed. Key covariates, required to model frequency and severity of cyber claims, are identified. The presented framework explicitly takes into account incidents from malicious untargeted and targeted attacks as well as accidents and failures. The resulting model is able to include the dynamic nature of cyber risk, while capturing accumulation risk in a realistic way. The model is studied with respect to its statistical properties and applied to the pricing of cyber insurance and risk measurement. The results are illustrated in a simulation study. In this paper, we propose an approach to explore reinsurance optimization for a non-life multi-line insurer through a simulation model that combines alternative reinsurance treaties. Based on the Solvency II framework, the model maximises both solvency ratio and portfolio performance under user-defined constraints. Data visualisation helps understanding the numerical results and, together with the concept of the Pareto frontier, supports the selection of the optimal reinsurance program. We show in the case study that the methodology can be easily restructured to deal with multi-objective optimization, and, finally, the selected programs from each proposed problem are compared. In insurance and even more in reinsurance it occurs that about a risk you only know that it has suffered no losses in the past, e.g. seven years. Some of these risks are furthermore such particular or novel that there are no similar risks to infer the loss frequency from. In this paper we propose a loss frequency estimator that copes with such situations, by just relying on the information coming from the risk itself: the “amended sample mean”. It is derived from a number of practice-oriented first principles and turns out to have desirable statistical properties. Some variants are possible, enabling insurers to align the method to their preferred business strategy, by trading off between low initial premiums for new business and moderate premium increases after a loss for renewal business. We further give examples where it is possible to assess the average loss from some market or portfolio information, such that overall one has an estimator of the risk premium. In recent years, increasing availability and quality of the portfolio data enables the life insurers to render fair and flexible pricing based on individual-level socio-economic attributes. Yet, many insurers price based on the “experience factor”; portfolio-specific mortality divided by population mortality. We incorporate the logistic regression in the experience mortality model by Plat (Insurance 45:123–132, 2009) and examine the effect of the differentiating factor(s) on the level and trend of mortality. The regression model accounts for socio-economic factors, such as salary, in the portfolio and constructs the corresponding differentiated experience factors. To address the varying uncertainty in each class of the differentiated experienced mortality, we provide the price of a simple survival benefit for a cohort with and without differentiation. We employ the EIOPA risk-margin price to examine how the differentiated mortality can be reflected in the required risk-loading, using the salary as an example differentiator. Further, we extend the risk margin price to a “time-consistent” price to address the considerable likelihood of the middle-time dynamics of the experience mortality in long-dated contracts. The Least Square Monte Carlo (LSMC) method serves as the numerical method to calculate the conditional operators in the time-consistent price. We find that differentiation is significant for different salary classes. For example, for the 40 years old male cohort, salary differentiation can result in around 7% discount for the low salary class and 7.9% surcharge for the high salary class. Spearman’s rho is one of the most popular dependence measures used in practice to describe the association between two random variables. However, in case of at least one random variable being discrete, Spearman’s correlations are often bounded and restricted to a sub-interval of [−1,1]. Hence, small positive values of Spearman’s rho may actually support a strong positive dependence when getting close to its highest attainable value. Similarly, slight negative values of Spearman’s rho can actually mean a strong negative dependence. In this paper, we derive the best-possible upper and lower bounds for Spearman’s rho when at least one random variable is discrete. We illustrate the obtained lower and upper bounds in some situations of practical relevance. We propose a general framework that can be used to analyse the mortality experience of a large portfolio of lives. The objective of the framework is to provide a firm evidence base to support the setting of future mortality assumptions for the portfolio as a whole or subgroup-by-subgroup. The framework is developed in tandem with an analysis of the mortality of pensioners in the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the largest funded pension scheme in the UK and one with a highly educated and very homogeneous membership. The USS experience was compared with English mortality subdivided into deprivation deciles using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). USS was found to have significantly lower mortality rates than even IMD-10 (the least deprived of the English deciles), but with similar mortality improvement rates to that decile over the period 2005–2016. Higher pensions were found to predict lower mortality, but only weakly so, and only for persons who retired on the first day of a month (mostly from active service). We found that other potential covariates derived from an individual’s post/zip code (geographical region and the IMD associated with their local area) typically had no explanatory power. This lack of dependence is an important conclusion of the USS-specific analysis and contrasts with others that consider the mortality of more heterogeneous scheme memberships. Although the key findings are likely to be particular to USS, we argue that our analytical framework will be useful for other large pension schemes and life annuity providers. In this short communication, we present a new, simple control-variate Monte Carlo procedure for enhancing the evaluation accuracy of alternative reinsurance strategies that an insurance company might adopt. In this note, we establish the best lower and upper bounds on Spearman’s rho for zero-inflated continuous random variables studied by Pimentel (Kendall’s Tau and Spearman’s Rho for Zero Inflated Data (Ph.D. dissertation). Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, 2009). The proposed bounds are explicitly expressed in terms of the respective probability masses at the origin. As illustrated in an example based on insurance data, these bounds are useful in practice when interpreting the values of Spearman’s rho.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WKvQcLD8LbTaozdp6tJPbU https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/S2H9EFXsYyHzyMMf77FcLu https://cassyni.com/events/S2H9EFXsYyHzyMMf77FcLu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BZbHjxa8Sh84HCzYSduNVL https://cassyni.com/events/S2H9EFXsYyHzyMMf77FcLu?videoPreview=1 Some recent advances in electromagnetic, acoustic, and flexural wave scattering: CPAL and shape recognitionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/S2H9EFXsYyHzyMMf77FcLu?videoPreview=12023-02-28T14:00:00+00:005032.12MetaMATIn the first part of this webinar, I will present our recent contributions in the coherent perfect-absorber and laser (CPAL) for electromagnetic, elastodynamic, and acoustic waves. This intriguing effect is enabled by parity-time (PT)-symmetry breaking condition and leads to extremely precise rf sensors. In addition, the lasing operation of CPAL device is first observed theoretically and validated numerically (3D COMSOL full elasticity simulations) in elastic thin-plates. We further propose to accomplish ultra-sensitivity and robustness to noise by demonstrating a CPAL-locked sensor to detect extremely small-scale pressure perturbations. The results show that the sensitivity and resolvability of the CPAL-locked sensor may go well beyond the traditional acoustic sensors. In the second part, we propose a new approach for acoustic airborne waveguiding that relies on imposing spinning on a column of air, leading to high modified acoustic refractive indices for specific azimuthal modes, reminiscent of acoustic spinning fiber (ASF). The obtained effect is nonreciprocal and tunable via the spinning frequency. It may be seen as the counterpart of the “Zeeman effect”. The concept is shown in the realm of airborne acoustics, yet it can be extended to other wave types, e.g., optics or elastodynamics. Last but not least, I will shortly discuss a generative deep learning approach for shape recognition of an arbitrary object from its acoustic scattering amplitudes. The model exploits adversarial learning and variational inference to predict the unique shape of the object. The nonunique solution space is overcome by the multiangle and multifrequency phaseless far-field patterns.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BZbHjxa8Sh84HCzYSduNVL https://cassyni.com/events/UVXATfmVkG4VLHqDeoAF4q/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UVXATfmVkG4VLHqDeoAF4q https://cassyni.com/events/UVXATfmVkG4VLHqDeoAF4q/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LGWWhReHU9Ecz5L3TUQJCv https://cassyni.com/events/UVXATfmVkG4VLHqDeoAF4q?videoPreview=1 Phenological mismatches and the demography of solitary beesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/UVXATfmVkG4VLHqDeoAF4q?videoPreview=12023-04-13T11:00:00+00:002972.48Royal Society PublishingSpecies respond idiosyncratically to environmental variation, which may generate phenological mismatches. We assess the consequences of such mismatches for solitary bees. During 9 years, we studied flowering phenology and nesting phenology and demography of five wood-nesting solitary bee species representing a broad gradient of specialization/generalization in the use of floral resources. We found that the reproductive performance and population growth rate of bees tended to be lower with increasing nesting–flowering mismatches, except for the most generalized bee species. Our findings help elucidate the role of phenological mismatches for the demography of wild pollinators, which perform key ecosystem functions and provide important services for humanity. Furthermore, if climate change increases phenological mismatches in this system, we expect negative consequences of climate change for specialist bees.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LGWWhReHU9Ecz5L3TUQJCv https://cassyni.com/events/Xx61u5p4DpruBgbQW8NNWZ/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FqYtyFtyz5dgxDw2szKryk https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q3gj3Wwmo95Ese5Rk9PfvM https://cassyni.com/events/Q3gj3Wwmo95Ese5Rk9PfvM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5axivYbN86MrWoxLrWakSJ https://cassyni.com/events/Q3gj3Wwmo95Ese5Rk9PfvM?videoPreview=1 Building a Strong Editorial Boardnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q3gj3Wwmo95Ese5Rk9PfvM?videoPreview=12023-02-28T09:00:00+00:003115.52Topics at the heart of our communityFor our first Spotlight On event of the year, we invite Editors-in-Chief to join us for discussions on one of the greatest assets of any journal: its Editorial Board. How can you build a Board that advocates for their communities, helps authors improve their papers, and set up your journal for success?https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5axivYbN86MrWoxLrWakSJ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/JcZ5Xzpzy6zAUmqC9EPsvu https://cassyni.com/events/JcZ5Xzpzy6zAUmqC9EPsvu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XkEEKH7rmkE7au1vdMZLzA https://cassyni.com/events/JcZ5Xzpzy6zAUmqC9EPsvu?videoPreview=1 Deep Learning to Discover Coordinates for Dynamics: Autoencoders & Physics Informed Machine Learningnohttps://cassyni.com/events/JcZ5Xzpzy6zAUmqC9EPsvu?videoPreview=12021-08-13T12:00:00+00:001615.8Brunton LabIn this video, we discuss how deep learning is being used to discover effective coordinate systems where simple dynamical systems models may be discovered. SLB acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation AI Institute in Dynamic Systems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XkEEKH7rmkE7au1vdMZLzA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EfNFAXeoTSZ1h7NWk7oqL1 https://cassyni.com/events/EfNFAXeoTSZ1h7NWk7oqL1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LJco6Lbk7pKjxB2drxzjKk https://cassyni.com/events/EfNFAXeoTSZ1h7NWk7oqL1?videoPreview=1 Anthromes, CO2 and Terrestrial Carbon – Session 4: Carbon in Indigenous and pre-industrial anthromesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EfNFAXeoTSZ1h7NWk7oqL1?videoPreview=12023-03-29T12:30:00+00:007386.92The New Phytologist Foundation8.30 – 8.35: Welcome to the day 8.35 – 9.05: Aboriginal cultural burning, catastrophic fires, and the carbon cycle: ancient techniques for modern problems, Michael-Shawn Fletcher* 9.05 – 9.35: Carbon in indigenous and pre-industrial anthromes: An overview of stocks and processes, Jed Kaplan 9.35 – 10.05: Legacies of long-term cumulative activities of Indigenous peoples in Amazonian forest composition and dynamics, Carolina Levis (presenting remotely) 10.05 – 10.35: Pre-industrial land use transitions in the tropics and their multi-scalar ramifications for the carbon cycle , Patrick Roberts (presenting remotely) https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LJco6Lbk7pKjxB2drxzjKk https://cassyni.com/events/7kRu67AtKqRrvzSnmMYSZb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HkhnmnK7fGrrVjh5WcsjjL https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FfH9mkHMCJ39aNXM8avt2Z https://cassyni.com/events/FfH9mkHMCJ39aNXM8avt2Z/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rqtpphc6BC7AF2z9V6E5HQ https://cassyni.com/events/FfH9mkHMCJ39aNXM8avt2Z?videoPreview=1 Waveform inversion via reduced order modelingnohttps://cassyni.com/events/FfH9mkHMCJ39aNXM8avt2Z?videoPreview=12022-03-04T14:00:00+00:004101.8AI Institute in Dynamic SystemsThis talk is concerned with the following inverse problem for the wave equation: Determine the variable wave speed from data gathered by a collection of sensors, which emit probing signals and measure the generated backscattered waves. Inverse backscattering is an interdisciplinary field driven by applications in geophysical exploration, radar imaging, non-destructive evaluation of materials, etc. There are two types of methods:(1) Qualitative (imaging) methods, which address the simpler problem of locating reflective structures in a known host medium. (2) Quantitative methods, also known as velocity estimation. Typically, velocity estimation is formulated as a PDE constrained optimization, where the data are fit in the least squares sense by the wave computed at the search wave speed. The increase in computing power has lead to growing interest in this approach, but there is a fundamental impediment, which manifests especially for high frequency data: The objective function is not convex and has numerous local minima even in the absence of noise. The main goal of the talk is to introduce a novel approach to velocity estimation, based on a reduced order model (ROM) of the wave operator. The ROM is called data driven because it is obtained from the measurements made at the sensors. The mapping between these measurements and the ROM is nonlinear, and yet the ROM can be computed efficiently using methods from numerical linear algebra. More importantly, the ROM can be used to define a better objective function for velocity estimation, so that gradient based optimization can succeed even for a poor initial guess.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rqtpphc6BC7AF2z9V6E5HQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FA1rDDJKtu74gsuQLZ6dbK https://cassyni.com/events/FA1rDDJKtu74gsuQLZ6dbK/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LEvaXwhYNJ4o65ZhPgnLfY https://cassyni.com/events/FA1rDDJKtu74gsuQLZ6dbK?videoPreview=1 Profilometry using structured illumination, Practical aspects of designing background-oriented schlieren (BOS) experiments for vortex measurementsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/FA1rDDJKtu74gsuQLZ6dbK?videoPreview=12023-05-16T14:00:00+00:002993.24Experiments in FluidsThis seminar presents a profilometer to resolve liquid-gas interfaces in 3D space based on ray tracing and structured illumination. A camera, in the gas phase, observes the refraction of a regular fluorescent grid through a deformed liquid surface. A robust ray-tracing algorithm is implemented to reconstruct the 3D topography in front of the fluorescent grid. The latter is generated by Talbot-effect structured illumination. The vertical orientation of the structured illumination plane provides boundary conditions for the surface reconstruction and minimizes optical occlusions. The experimental technique and the profilometry algorithm will be presented in detail and illustrated with samples of reconstructed surfaces from a droplet impact on a deep pool. Setup-related aspects of background-oriented schlieren (BOS) experiments are discussed focusing on a sensitivity parameter $S$, which represents the relation between light deflection and resulting BOS signal, and the geometric blur. An analytic expression for the geometric blur by means of the circle of confusion (CoC) was derived which shows a proportional relation to the sensitivity factor $S$. The theoretical findings were validated in a reference experiment using generic distortions in glass plates. It was found that the filtering effect of the blur decreases the maximum background shift and its influence can be expressed with a blur loss factor $B$, which depends on the size of the CoC in relation to the investigated object. Multiplying the setup sensitivity $S$ with the blur loss $B$ results in the effective sensitivity $S_{\mathrm{eff}}$ that determines the maximum achievable BOS signal of a schlieren object. For the investigated reference objects, the maximum effective sensitivity $S_{\mathrm{eff}}$ was found to occur at CoC sizes in the object domain from 2.5 to 3.8 times the extent of the investigated objects. A step-by-step method is proposed for designing BOS experiments to obtain a maximum signal strength. The design parameters are further discussed specifically in regard to rotor tip vortex visualization, for which a variety of previously reported experiments are compared. A simple prediction method for the BOS signal of blade tip vortices is proposed and validated with experimental data from a rotor test stand. The application of the method to rotor systems of different size shows the requirement for increasingly higher sensitivity values for visualizing vortices of small-scale rotors.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LEvaXwhYNJ4o65ZhPgnLfY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/N57vyQsZSfnaLAbNzZc1Nd https://cassyni.com/events/N57vyQsZSfnaLAbNzZc1Nd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DrQ4LYcBQQNYp5m9W9m4Mk https://cassyni.com/events/N57vyQsZSfnaLAbNzZc1Nd?videoPreview=1 Non-Gaussian Statistics in Soft and Bio-Matternohttps://cassyni.com/events/N57vyQsZSfnaLAbNzZc1Nd?videoPreview=12021-07-06T09:00:00+00:003810.84Journal of Biological PhysicsBrownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion, characterised by a linear scaling in time of the mean squared displacement but a non-Gaussian displacement distribution is a phenomenon that has been observed in a variety of systems. In my talk, after a brief historical introduction to Brownian motion I will review experimental evidence and show how non-Gaussian statistics emerge from random-parameter models, extreme value arguments, and other models. In particular, I will also talk about quenched versus annealed disorder and demonstrate how shape-shifting in tracers leads to time-fluctuating diffusivities. I will finally address anomalous diffusion systems dominated by viscoelasticity in heterogeneous environments, for which non-Gaussian displacement distributions are measured.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DrQ4LYcBQQNYp5m9W9m4Mk https://cassyni.com/events/QYMxCq7BdxZ4h74wYFWe6Z/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FbE6Sv5DmMMbSWXFi7qsRg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/H8dtWaQK46FYw4t2z5u1eV https://cassyni.com/events/H8dtWaQK46FYw4t2z5u1eV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7AshHoqGW8yVZ1V9n4ttKQ https://cassyni.com/events/H8dtWaQK46FYw4t2z5u1eV?videoPreview=1 Electrically Mediated Water Flow in Nanochannelsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/H8dtWaQK46FYw4t2z5u1eV?videoPreview=12023-05-19T10:00:00+00:002298.04Department of AeronauticsMotivated by electrowetting-based flow control in nano-systems, water transport in graphene nanochannels is investigated. Molecular dynamics simulations of force-driven water flow in graphene nano-channels subjected to opposing surface charges respond to the electric field by reorientation of their dipoles. This creates flow asymmetry and surface charge dependent variations in the slip velocity and bulk viscosity. Beyond a certain threshold, electro-crystallization of water in nanochannels at room temperature is observed. The second part of the talk will focus on electroosmotic flow (EOF) of ionized water in silicon nanochannels in the Debye–Hückel regime. The onset of slip velocity within the thin electrical double layer region and its effects on EOF will be presented. Influences of increased surface charge density in the intermediate and flow-reversal regimes will also be discussed and the results will be compared with relevant high-order continuum models that include the over-screening and crowding effects. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7AshHoqGW8yVZ1V9n4ttKQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SWxNPZhHPnmpnpMAuDNaX7 https://cassyni.com/events/SWxNPZhHPnmpnpMAuDNaX7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3AV9ymkMRJRbtgcnMv9Qog https://cassyni.com/events/SWxNPZhHPnmpnpMAuDNaX7?videoPreview=1 Rentiership in EdTech: Data as asset, data as rent?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/SWxNPZhHPnmpnpMAuDNaX7?videoPreview=12023-06-22T12:30:00+00:001256.0Building Digital Education AssetsThis webinar will present the concepts of assetisation and rentiership. It will discuss different types of assets in higher education, how they are made valuable, and the consequences. The webinar is relevant for academics, practitioners, and policymakers.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3AV9ymkMRJRbtgcnMv9Qog https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/T1bySFLoqFKsnat4VefNnR https://cassyni.com/events/T1bySFLoqFKsnat4VefNnR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CTaSTJ59zYZkHigUccAuev https://cassyni.com/events/T1bySFLoqFKsnat4VefNnR?videoPreview=1 Importance of Linking Inertia and Frequency Response Procurement: The Great Britain Casenohttps://cassyni.com/events/T1bySFLoqFKsnat4VefNnR?videoPreview=12023-07-31T13:00:00+00:002025.16Imperial College London Early Career Researcher InstituteIn order to decarbonise the electricity sector, the future Great Britain (GB) power system will be largely dominated by non-synchronous renewables. This will cause low levels of inertia, a key parameter that could lead to frequency deterioration. Therefore, the requirement for ancillary services that contain frequency deviations will increase significantly, particularly given the increase in size of the largest possible loss with the commissioning of large nuclear plants in the near future. In this paper, an inertia-dependent Stochastic Unit Commitment (SUC) model is used to illustrate the benefits of linking inertia and frequency response provision in low-inertia systems. We demonstrate that the cost of procuring ancillary services in GB could increase by 165% if the level of inertia is not explicitly considered when procuring frequency response. These results highlight the need to re-think the structure of ancillary-services markets, which in GB are nowadays held one month ahead of delivery.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CTaSTJ59zYZkHigUccAuev https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2KBm84zZtMdvd8bKyS5H6m https://cassyni.com/events/2KBm84zZtMdvd8bKyS5H6m/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LehrRj8U1vRy6J3ZCX3hz6 https://cassyni.com/events/2KBm84zZtMdvd8bKyS5H6m?videoPreview=1 Promoting changenohttps://cassyni.com/events/2KBm84zZtMdvd8bKyS5H6m?videoPreview=12023-05-17T12:00:00+00:004178.2Stout Research Centre for New Zealand StudiesThe Safeswim programme has changed the experience of swimming at beaches from the Bombay Hills to Cape Reinga. Experimentation with artificial wetlands has opened new approaches for dairy farmers in managing their run-off. In this session, Andrew and Aidan will talk about working to promote change and the tools that can help.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LehrRj8U1vRy6J3ZCX3hz6 https://cassyni.com/events/Feh5NXTjjiatWLtv8fDbmX/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Feh5NXTjjiatWLtv8fDbmX https://cassyni.com/events/Feh5NXTjjiatWLtv8fDbmX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JMYMraxUSiHX7tkUpQ71Y https://cassyni.com/events/Feh5NXTjjiatWLtv8fDbmX?videoPreview=1 Challenges and prospects for atmospheric water harvestingnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Feh5NXTjjiatWLtv8fDbmX?videoPreview=12023-08-15T14:00:00+00:003528.12Nature WaterWhen our water resources become more polluted and accessibility to clean water more difficult, we can imagine collecting the steam from the air for our drinking necessity. We’ll talk to Omar Yaghi and Peng Wang about new advances in atmospheric water harvesting and what are the prospects and challenges to develop the technology so that it can make a difference. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JMYMraxUSiHX7tkUpQ71Y https://cassyni.com/events/YSmF4PyU4eLj1TAmG56fuw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/E9c1NNwqQF3xVfvpo4kzy4 https://cassyni.com/events/4nRnMVEC5eQQz54tX7yuph/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3vHPM7NewK7PUETnKBX9S6 https://cassyni.com/events/8jfrxDSAQ2gefEQS8PvLfo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CZhGny8d5SAXPb6Ky9J5L https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/KwoFxjHpAP8uCDXaEJiDj https://cassyni.com/events/KwoFxjHpAP8uCDXaEJiDj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G72Hre48BLr6hsqsn8KG8E https://cassyni.com/events/KwoFxjHpAP8uCDXaEJiDj?videoPreview=1 Introducing Transformative Plant Biotechnology: Panel discussion session: Industry and translational researchnohttps://cassyni.com/events/KwoFxjHpAP8uCDXaEJiDj?videoPreview=12023-09-20T08:30:00+00:002333.12The New Phytologist FoundationChair: Keith Lindsey Participants: Claire Halpin, Yuan Li, Christian Lorenzo, Anne Osbourn, Nigel Taylorhttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G72Hre48BLr6hsqsn8KG8E https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DBT497E7YRpQ9QRMayJy3b https://cassyni.com/events/DBT497E7YRpQ9QRMayJy3b/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QVwKA1P4ahPEzuGP4Jigu4 https://cassyni.com/events/DBT497E7YRpQ9QRMayJy3b?videoPreview=1 Session 1 (Part 2) - Engineering Stomatal Developmentnohttps://cassyni.com/events/DBT497E7YRpQ9QRMayJy3b?videoPreview=12023-07-02T07:15:00+00:002196.8New Phytologist Foundation Stomata underpin crop productivity by allowing carbon dioxide to enter leaves and water vapour to exit via transpiration. They open in the light for photosynthesis, and close in the dark or on dehydration. The identification of signalling peptides that regulate stomatal development in Arabidopsis has led to the manipulation of stomatal conductance in crop species; barley, wheat and rice plants have been produced with abnormally low stomatal densities. These modified crops have substantially lower levels of water loss and show enhanced drought tolerance. They require less water to grow, and yet maintain seed yields. For example, rice seedlings with approximately half the usual number of stomata, use only 60% of the normal amount of water, are better able to survive drought, and still yield well. Optimisation and adoption of this technology could enhance yields under stressful conditions, reduce agricultural water requirements, help to mitigate the impacts of climate change on food security, and reduce future GHG emissions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QVwKA1P4ahPEzuGP4Jigu4 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CC9r3jw4fWiFUebMUzqeEh https://cassyni.com/events/CC9r3jw4fWiFUebMUzqeEh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6Lky2XfGw43CbPEMrWtCKQ https://cassyni.com/events/CC9r3jw4fWiFUebMUzqeEh?videoPreview=1 Determination of KAM-stable 3D configurations for exoplanetary systemsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/CC9r3jw4fWiFUebMUzqeEh?videoPreview=12022-09-05T12:35:01+00:001338.2Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical AstronomyWe study the KAM stability of several two-planet non-resonant extrasolar systems. It is likely that the observed exoplanets are the most massive of the system considered. Therefore, their robust stability is a crucial and necessary condition for the long-term survival of the system when considering potential additional planets yet-to-be seen. Our study is based on the construction of a combination of lower-dimensional elliptic and KAM tori, so as to better approximate the system secular dynamics. For each system, we explore the parameter space of both inclinations: the one with respect to the line of sight and the mutual inclination between the planets. Our approach shows that significant inclinations, resulting in three-dimensional architectures that are far from being co-planar, can be compatible with the stability of the system. We find that the highest values of the mutual inclinations are comparable to those of the few systems for which said inclinations could be determined by the observations. Joint work with U. Locatelli, C.Caracciolo, M. Sansottera.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6Lky2XfGw43CbPEMrWtCKQ https://cassyni.com/events/NZoA8j2yHVGQ9wAjkWLJn1/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/NZoA8j2yHVGQ9wAjkWLJn1 https://cassyni.com/events/NZoA8j2yHVGQ9wAjkWLJn1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HK3nVAvCjXSUuvMPuvbw2n https://cassyni.com/events/NZoA8j2yHVGQ9wAjkWLJn1?videoPreview=1 The structure and dynamics of networks with higher-order interactionsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/NZoA8j2yHVGQ9wAjkWLJn1?videoPreview=12023-11-14T12:00:00+00:003960.24Physics ReportsAll beauty, richness and harmony in the emergent dynamics of a complex system largely depend on the specific way in which its elementary components interact. The last twenty-five years have seen the birth and development of the multidisciplinary field of Network Science, wherein a variety of distributed systems in physics, biology, social sciences and engineering have been modeled as networks of coupled units, in the attempt to unveil the mechanisms underneath their observed functionality. There is, however, a fundamental limit to such a representation: networks capture only pairwise interactions, whereas the functioning of many real-world systems not only involves dyadic connections, but rather is the outcome of collective actions at the level of groups of nodes. For instance, in ecological systems, three or more species may compete for food or territory, and similar multi-component interactions appear in functional and structural brain networks, protein interaction networks, semantic networks, multi-authors scientific collaborations, offline and online social networks, gene regulatory networks and spreading of consensus or contagious diseases due to multiple, simultaneous, contacts. Such multi-component interactions can only be grasped through either hypergraphs or simplicial complexes, which indeed have recently found a huge number of applications. In this report, we cover the extensive literature of the past years on this subject, and we focus on the structure and dynamics of hypergraphs and simplicial complexes. These are indeed becoming increasingly relevant, thanks to the enhanced resolution of data sets and the recent advances in data analysis techniques, which (concurrently and definitely) have shown that such structures play a pivotal role in the complex organization and functioning of real-world distributed systems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HK3nVAvCjXSUuvMPuvbw2n https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VyXDpyjqsMaEeWhCiPC3C1 https://cassyni.com/events/VyXDpyjqsMaEeWhCiPC3C1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WAKr92ukUnirRqY4TZt3uQ https://cassyni.com/events/VyXDpyjqsMaEeWhCiPC3C1?videoPreview=1 Discrete complex system modeling: the role of granular mechanics in predicting failure and instability from the grain scale to the structural scalenohttps://cassyni.com/events/VyXDpyjqsMaEeWhCiPC3C1?videoPreview=12022-03-28T12:00:00+00:003836.12Granular MatterIn this talk, we will present collaborative work we have done to model the behavior of discrete complex systems across different scales and applications. We will start with work on grain breakage where discrete models and advanced experiments can shed light into hitherto obscure mechanisms controlling particle failure. we will then present work to understand ant-tunneling and the mechanisms that the natural world seems to utilize to minimize instability. Finally, we will show an example of collaborative work between computational and experimental models to tune particle shape in order to obtain structural behavior that maximizes bending stiffness for applications such as impact protection. A common theme will be the synergistic effect of collaboration, as well as the amplifying effect of experimentation and modeling in complex systems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WAKr92ukUnirRqY4TZt3uQ https://cassyni.com/events/TWHCbZWDg4ohcMTRFbPgBo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4QvzPo2BNmfXpSX7jpbQFx https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/8EzdnuGkZDCpqmQvLHoNVb https://cassyni.com/events/8EzdnuGkZDCpqmQvLHoNVb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CWn9mBhgDCBcTqExTy1nZC https://cassyni.com/events/8EzdnuGkZDCpqmQvLHoNVb?videoPreview=1 Multi-scale and/or multi-resolution approaches using morphological filters for quality assessment of synthesized viewsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/8EzdnuGkZDCpqmQvLHoNVb?videoPreview=12021-09-02T12:30:00+00:002883.8Journal on Image and Video ProcessingNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CWn9mBhgDCBcTqExTy1nZC https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2orzHP9yjB7kSuAgjNoaW9 https://cassyni.com/events/2orzHP9yjB7kSuAgjNoaW9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8jjWMeS2cvZM4tM3tcToee https://cassyni.com/events/2orzHP9yjB7kSuAgjNoaW9?videoPreview=1 Józef Maria Bocheński: biography, frames of mind and attitudes, logical philosophy, how to live long and well, and why faith matters, Presentation of the book: The Lvov-Warsaw School. Past and Presentnohttps://cassyni.com/events/2orzHP9yjB7kSuAgjNoaW9?videoPreview=12023-08-30T14:00:00+00:004212.04Logica UniversalisCelebration of the 121th anniversary of Józef Maria Bocheński born August 30, 1902. I attempt an overview of Bocheński the man and thinker in the context of a life founded on three pillars: Priest-Philosopher-Pilot At a critical, late stage Bocheński undertook an intellectual detox shedding his "humanist, "anthropocentric" specutlative world views (including Thomism) adopting instead "naturalism" consisting largely of logic-centered analysis with an eye to scientific method. Some of his later views are extreme, to the point where one might wonder how much philosophy finally remained in his attempt to understand the world, Man, and Society. The presentation is based on PowerPoint slides and is, needless to say, sketchy. Presentation of the book: The Lvov-Warsaw School. Past and Present which includes two chapters on Bocheński by Jan Woleński.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8jjWMeS2cvZM4tM3tcToee https://cassyni.com/events/Cgq5D46UWLC5JRAiEwZwe5/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Cgq5D46UWLC5JRAiEwZwe5 https://cassyni.com/events/Cgq5D46UWLC5JRAiEwZwe5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6JSx9AaALtDM1j1xTuoT3L https://cassyni.com/events/Cgq5D46UWLC5JRAiEwZwe5?videoPreview=1 Data and Physics Centric Engineering and Healthcarenohttps://cassyni.com/events/Cgq5D46UWLC5JRAiEwZwe5?videoPreview=12023-10-27T12:00:00+00:004250.84Department of Chemical EngineeringIn this presentation, we delve into the dynamic synergy between Machine Learning and physics-driven approaches, addressing critical challenges in engineering and healthcare. From fracture mechanics and predictive maintenance in industry to personalized medical diagnostics and cancer therapy, we explore how these innovative techniques are reshaping the landscape of problem-solving. Join me on this journey as we unlock the immense potential of data-driven science to advance our understanding and transform industries.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6JSx9AaALtDM1j1xTuoT3L https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/L6am1wKEVZRdwUPaVPN7gh https://cassyni.com/events/L6am1wKEVZRdwUPaVPN7gh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/ENkgCFHneEukrRJyzkBRDg https://cassyni.com/events/L6am1wKEVZRdwUPaVPN7gh?videoPreview=1 Introducing Transformative Plant Biotechnology: Optogenetic Manipulation of Plant Physiologynohttps://cassyni.com/events/L6am1wKEVZRdwUPaVPN7gh?videoPreview=12023-09-21T10:00:00+00:001730.8The New Phytologist FoundationPhototropins (phots) are plasma membrane-associated blue-light receptor kinases that control a variety of responses in plants that serve to optimise photosynthetic productivity. These include phototropism, leaf positioning, chloroplast accumulation movement and stomatal opening. The activity and regulatory action of their C-terminal kinase domain is controlled by a flavin-binding module known as the Light, Oxygen or Voltage sensing 2 (LOV2) domain located within the N-terminal region of the protein. This light-sensory module is proposed to cage and repress phot kinase activity in darkness, with this repression being alleviated following photo-activation through light-induced structural changes associated with LOV2. The LOV2 photo-switch has therefore been used to artificially regulate protein function through this caging/un-caging mechanism. One example is Blue Light-Induced K+ Channel 1 (BLINK1), a synthetic ion channel created by fusing the algal virus K+ channel Kcv to the LOV2 photo-switch from oat phot1. We have used this optogenetic tool to modulate blue light-induced stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants expressing BLINK1, specifically within the guard cells, show improved stomatal responses, carbon assimilation and water use efficiency in fluctuating light environments. We have also shown that the sensitivity of phot blue-light receptors in Arabidopsis can be modulated through targeted engineering of the LOV2 photo-switch and this approach can be used to increase photoreceptor function under low light conditions to improve photosynthetic productivity and biomass production.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/ENkgCFHneEukrRJyzkBRDg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/RXiQXTS1KbX34syNW1c1e5 https://cassyni.com/events/RXiQXTS1KbX34syNW1c1e5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GtmL1M6YRJPFpW58NgnQgv https://cassyni.com/events/RXiQXTS1KbX34syNW1c1e5?videoPreview=1 Microcrystal Alignment in Drawn Fibernohttps://cassyni.com/events/RXiQXTS1KbX34syNW1c1e5?videoPreview=12021-09-21T12:00:00+00:003243.04Discover Applied SciencesThis paper describes a method for aligning stiff, high-aspect-ratio microcrystals over macro-length scales using a polymer fiber drawing process. A composite preform was constructed with an interfacial, liquid shell layer of grapeseed oil suspending ytterbium-doped potassium lutetium fluoride microcrystals (30% Yb:K2LuF5, KLF) between adjacent cylindrical surfaces of acrylic (polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA). The mean length of synthesized KLF microcrystals was 67 microns, and the mean aspect ratio, equivalent to crystal length divided by diameter, was eight. The acrylic-host preform was drawn into fiber, resulting in uniform reduction of all cross-sectional dimensions by a factor of approximately 20 in the final fiber. A corresponding width reduction of the interstitial liquid-filled gap, containing microcrystals between the polymer surfaces, constrains the microcrystals and causes alignment of the crystal long axes parallel to the axis of the drawn composite fiber. Alignment was best for clearly separated microcrystals and improved even further with the longest lengths, or highest aspect-ratio microcrystals.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GtmL1M6YRJPFpW58NgnQgv https://cassyni.com/events/J81xwqF2968yPzuXjoaT8y/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/J81xwqF2968yPzuXjoaT8y https://cassyni.com/events/J81xwqF2968yPzuXjoaT8y/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WFMw5gP5dCxQezpa96owDG https://cassyni.com/events/J81xwqF2968yPzuXjoaT8y?videoPreview=1 Key differences in the mechanical response of granular versus continuum solidsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/J81xwqF2968yPzuXjoaT8y?videoPreview=12023-12-12T16:00:00+00:004735.72Granular MatterGranular materials are composed of discrete, macroscopic particles that interact via dissipative, contact interactions. When granular materials are compressed, they undergo a jamming transition from a liquid- to a solid-like state. In this presentation, I will describe the key differences between the mechanical properties of granular solids compared to continuum solids. First, continuum solids (e.g. modeled using Lennard-Jones interactions) can store a significant amount of potential energy during isotropic compression and thus their elastic moduli typically increase with pressure. In contrast, granular solids undergo frequent particle rearrangements during compression, which prevents them from storing significant elastic energy. We find that along elastic segments where granular solids do not undergo particle rearrangements during compression, their shear moduli actually decrease with increasing pressure. Second, granular solids are always anisotropic at jamming onset, even in the large-system limit. In contrast, compressed Lennard-Jones glasses are isotropic in the large-system limit. Finally, we show that jammed solids possess a large number of structural ``defects" that are activated duirng applied shear and are the source of the collective, non-affine displacement fields in granular solids.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WFMw5gP5dCxQezpa96owDG https://cassyni.com/events/AiGH8x2G9ruQkwgfVMnH6M/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TAfwigoLJX5PPANhPuXxpE https://cassyni.com/events/LbFzBFUeLNuTkwP6HVV5ru/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TVffHckFgHbTqMJkavGMwC https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BCutBdfnbKTTkiDZ5o55Mf https://cassyni.com/events/BCutBdfnbKTTkiDZ5o55Mf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QBrpyiQBC8eJp51R3uPA2r https://cassyni.com/events/BCutBdfnbKTTkiDZ5o55Mf?videoPreview=1 Cellular blood flow modelling in the human body - challenges and outlooknohttps://cassyni.com/events/BCutBdfnbKTTkiDZ5o55Mf?videoPreview=12020-12-16T12:00:00+00:004372.72Leeds Institute for Fluid DynamicsThere has been a recent increase in modelling of blood flow in disease, such as malaria, sickle cell anemia or cancer. Blood flow modelling becomes particularly challenging at the scale of arterioles and capillaries where the diameters of blood vessels and red blood cells (RBCs) are similar. In these cases, computationally expensive cell-based models are still required to uncover suspension flow effects and predict cell distribution and tissue oxygenation. Deformable RBCs are typically modelled as hyperelastic or viscoelastic capsule-vesicle hybrids that are fully coupled to the ambient fluid flow and allow to capture the cell deformation and dynamics on the micron level. In order to enable more quantitative predictions in larger blood vessel networks (e.g. on the organ level), more efficient reduced models are required. I will give a short overview of existing microscopic blood flow models and ongoing activities to develop effective blood flow models applicable to larger scales.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QBrpyiQBC8eJp51R3uPA2r https://cassyni.com/events/XTXHCHiBzT5wHDD7u2imoj/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/XTXHCHiBzT5wHDD7u2imoj https://cassyni.com/events/XTXHCHiBzT5wHDD7u2imoj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KC4QTS4LtBuKjm2Jmb6DHg https://cassyni.com/events/XTXHCHiBzT5wHDD7u2imoj?videoPreview=1 The Personal is Universal: Cultivating Awareness, Vulnerability, & Advocacy Through Writingnohttps://cassyni.com/events/XTXHCHiBzT5wHDD7u2imoj?videoPreview=12024-01-11T21:00:00+00:003482.92Family MedicineLearning Objectives: - Describe how medical training creates barrier for clinicians to find their creative voice - Recognize how “the writer’s eye” cultivates awareness - Understand why it is essential for the personal to become universal in your writing - Identify unique aspects of op-ed and narrative writinghttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KC4QTS4LtBuKjm2Jmb6DHg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/MaZCGcmhDJ1cRhD6PTxQfo https://cassyni.com/events/MaZCGcmhDJ1cRhD6PTxQfo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QcWPgNMy2zjVc4RTJYReWA https://cassyni.com/events/MaZCGcmhDJ1cRhD6PTxQfo?videoPreview=1 Double-diffusive magnetic layeringnohttps://cassyni.com/events/MaZCGcmhDJ1cRhD6PTxQfo?videoPreview=12022-03-24T12:00:00+00:003309.96Leeds Institute for Fluid DynamicsDouble-diffusive systems, such as thermosolutal convection, in which the density depends on two components that diffuse at different rates, are prone to both steady and oscillatory instabilities. Such systems can evolve into layered states, in which both components, and also the density, adopt a staircase profile. Turbulent transport is enhanced significantly in the layered state. Here we exploit an analogy between magnetic buoyancy and thermosolutal convection in order to demonstrate the phenomenon of magnetic layering. We examine the long-term nonlinear evolution of a vertically stratified horizontal magnetic field in the so-called diffusive regime, where an oscillatory linear instability operates. Motivated astrophysically, we consider the case where the viscous and magnetic diffusivities are much smaller than the thermal diffusivity. We demonstrate that diffusive layering can occur even for subadiabatic temperature gradients. Magnetic layering may be relevant for stellar radiative zones, with implications for the turbulent transport of heat, magnetic field, and chemical elements.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QcWPgNMy2zjVc4RTJYReWA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Tzz3sWBWvFDJFWuZFNLpGu https://cassyni.com/events/Tzz3sWBWvFDJFWuZFNLpGu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/77b9UeG7Jn4EPgdhA7XXSE https://cassyni.com/events/Tzz3sWBWvFDJFWuZFNLpGu?videoPreview=1 Analysis of in-plane wave propagation in elastic structured systemsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Tzz3sWBWvFDJFWuZFNLpGu?videoPreview=12024-02-20T14:00:00+00:003762.04MetaMATDiscrete media are a paradigm of metamaterials research that have applications in understanding and designing civil engineering structures, as well as materials with novel waveguiding properties. Often these materials are modelled as being infinite in extent and periodic. There, the corresponding modal analysis can provide a good indication of the structure’s overall behaviour, especially when the medium of interest is large. However, there exists many scenarios where one needs to determine the response of stratified systems subjected to complex loads or possessing inhomogeneities, non-periodic microstructures and/or having multiple boundaries. This webinar will focus on analytical techniques that help to address such problems and enable one to characterise the in-plane waveguiding and scattering properties of two-dimensional elastic periodic systems. In the first part of the talk, we will discuss Lamb wave propagation in microstructured elastic triangular strips attached to an array of gyroscopes. The latter makes the system non-reciprocal and this allows the medium to support uni-directional Lamb waves when subjected to forcing [1]. The solution to this problem is solved using the discrete Fourier transform and we demonstrate how this solution can be exploited to novel waveguides. Namely, we illustrate how we can create networks of structured strips that can channel waves that propagate from one point in the system and along any predefined controllable path in the system to any other point in the network. In the second part of the talk, we investigate the scattering of waves in a triangular elastic lattice by a penetrable inertial line defect [2]. Through the application of the discrete Fourier transform, this problem can be reduced to the analysis of two scalar Wiener-Hopf equations. From there, essential information about all dynamic modes of the system and their symmetry properties can be extracted. This includes all dynamic regimes where localised modes are supported by the defect when interacting with incoming waves. The solution of the Wiener-Hopf equations is represented as a contour integral that can be used to investigate unusual scattering responses of the defect encountered outside of the low-frequency regime. If time permits, we will then discuss a method that allows one to model vibration in finite or infinite non-periodic discrete flexural systems and that allows for a new dynamic homogenisation method that provides an accurate broadband description of the vibration response for infinite structured flexural waveguides [3]. All analytical results presented are accompanied by numerical illustrations that demonstrate their effectiveness. Acknowledgement: MJN gratefully acknowledges the support of the EU H2020 grant MSCA-RISE-2020-101008140-EffectFact. MJN would also like to thank the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) for their support and hospitality during the programme ``Mathematical theory and applications of multiple wave scattering" (MWS), where work on some topics from the talk was undertaken and supported by EPSRC grant no. EP/R014604/1. Additionally, MJN is grateful for the funding received from the Simons Foundation that supported his visit to INI during January-June 2023 and participation in MWS programme.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/77b9UeG7Jn4EPgdhA7XXSE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UzHFxsUZoAKSvGjZMLp95o https://cassyni.com/events/UzHFxsUZoAKSvGjZMLp95o/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JWTVTLMXP8ikALNtZD4bnn https://cassyni.com/events/UzHFxsUZoAKSvGjZMLp95o?videoPreview=1 Wave loading on rock lighthousesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/UzHFxsUZoAKSvGjZMLp95o?videoPreview=12022-10-14T12:00:00+00:003449.04UK Fluids NetworkHistoric offshore lighthouses are positioned to warn mariners of the presence of perilous rocky outcrops. The UK and Irish General Lighthouse Authorities are continuing to use these physical aids to navigation, as satellite navigation systems are not failsafe. However, faced with climate change threats of sea level rise and potential increases in storminess, it has become increasingly important to understand the structural response of these lighthouses to wave impacts. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the methods and key findings from the recently-completed STORMLAMP project, before focusing on the physical hydrodynamic modelling undertaken in the University of Plymouth COAST Laboratory. A 1 :40 scale model of the Wolf Rock lighthouse was subjected to extreme wave interactions corresponding to 1 in 250 year wave conditions, and the acquired wave loads and runup provided insight into wave interactions at prototype scale.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JWTVTLMXP8ikALNtZD4bnn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6m74t7Mx3ZPz7kvPNp8g85 https://cassyni.com/events/6m74t7Mx3ZPz7kvPNp8g85/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/81Wu8yS4YXkJiYENhucTC2 https://cassyni.com/events/6m74t7Mx3ZPz7kvPNp8g85?videoPreview=1 Exploring the Role of Masculine Role Norms, Medical Mistrust, and Normative Support on Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake among African-American Mennohttps://cassyni.com/events/6m74t7Mx3ZPz7kvPNp8g85?videoPreview=12023-03-16T14:00:00+00:003413.96Center for Cancer TrainingAmong all racial and ethnic groups, African-American men are the most likely to get colorectal cancer (CRC) and to die of it. Screening can prevent CRC and save lives, but few African-American men receive a CRC screening test. This study recruited English-speaking African-American men aged 45 to 75 into focus groups to examine how their attitudes, beliefs, and life circumstances affected their likelihood of getting a CRC screening test. These focus groups revealed two important barriers for these African-American men to getting screened for CRC: the way they thought about the social expectations of being a man and their mistrust of doctors. The researchers concluded that healthcare professionals need to find ways to address these barriers when they develop programs aimed at encouraging African-American men to get screened for CRC.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/81Wu8yS4YXkJiYENhucTC2 https://cassyni.com/events/pd2RGtheyrxifD3NLRgPw/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/pd2RGtheyrxifD3NLRgPw https://cassyni.com/events/pd2RGtheyrxifD3NLRgPw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3wrpU6Nrzi7S1CBuyYaxSa https://cassyni.com/events/pd2RGtheyrxifD3NLRgPw?videoPreview=1 Evolutionary History of Prey: 600 million years of Predator-Prey Interactions in Earth's Oceansnohttps://cassyni.com/events/pd2RGtheyrxifD3NLRgPw?videoPreview=12024-02-15T15:00:00+00:002013.76Cambridge PrismsPredation is not only one of the key ecological process shaping modern ecosystems, but may have also played an important role throughout the evolutionary history of animals. However, assessing biotic interactions in the fossil record is challenging. Fortuitously, in the marine fossil record, direct records of predatory attacks are provided by trace fossils (e.g., repair scars, bite marks, drill holes) left by predators on skeletons of their prey. A compilation of trace fossil data reveals long-term changes in the intensity and nature of predator-prey interactions in marine ecosystems. Despite numerous interpretative challenges, trace fossils indicate that intensity of predation and predator-prey body size relationships may have changed in a non-monotonic fashion throughout the evolutionary history of aquatic animals. These changes parallel long-term shifts in global biodiversity, faunal composition, and morphology of marine animals pointing to potential causative links between predation and long-term evolutionary and ecological changes in Earth’s oceans.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3wrpU6Nrzi7S1CBuyYaxSa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EAq8aN4pdRhpcLSrLgzQY5 https://cassyni.com/events/EAq8aN4pdRhpcLSrLgzQY5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/D4BSynFJcG56FewKNrjzni https://cassyni.com/events/EAq8aN4pdRhpcLSrLgzQY5?videoPreview=1 Subordination principle, stochastic solutions and Feynman-Kac formulae for generalized time fractional evolution equationsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EAq8aN4pdRhpcLSrLgzQY5?videoPreview=12023-11-30T15:00:00+00:004604.76Journal of Mathematical SciencesWe consider generalized time-fractional evolution equations of the form 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝑢0 + ∫𝑡0 𝑘(𝑡, 𝑠)𝐿𝑢(𝑠)𝑑𝑠 with a fairly general memory kernel 𝑘 and an operator 𝐿 being the generator of a strongly continuous semigroup (on some Banach space). In particular, this class of evolution equations includes time- and space- fractional heat and Schrödinger type equations, as well as many equations with Caputo type time-fractional derivatives. Some of these equations are used in models of anomalous diffusion. We show that the subordination principle holds for such evolution equations. This allows to obtain solutions of these equations via solutions of the corresponding “classical” equations (with the same 𝐿 and 𝑘 ≡ 1). We discuss different classes of stochastic processes which can be used to represent solutions of these equations (such processes are called “stochastic solutions”). We obtain Feynman-Kac formulae for solutions of some of these equations with the use of subordinate Markov processes and randomly scaled Gaussian processes. In particular, we obtain some Feynman-Kac formulae with generalized grey Brownian motion and other related self-similar processes with stationary increments.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/D4BSynFJcG56FewKNrjzni https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9EM67XbaErAoDEjWLDHQow https://cassyni.com/events/9EM67XbaErAoDEjWLDHQow/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/16SSVQNiQ7ztdVLafHBMHY https://cassyni.com/events/9EM67XbaErAoDEjWLDHQow?videoPreview=1 Vascular endothelial profilin-1 drives a protumorigenic tumor microenvironment and tumor progression in renal cancernohttps://cassyni.com/events/9EM67XbaErAoDEjWLDHQow?videoPreview=12024-07-18T18:00:00+00:003322.36Center for Cancer TrainingRoughly 80,000 new cases of renal cell carcinoma (or kidney cancer) with estimated 15,000 deaths occur per year. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma, accounting for over 75% of kidney cancer cases. Metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients also have a 5-year survival of less than 10% with median survival being around 13 months. A key characteristic of this type of tumor is its highly vascularized tumor microenvironment, meaning that the environment is rich in blood vessels. This is due to loss of a number of genes such as Von-Hippel Lindau, or VHL, which plays a major role in initiation as well as progression of this disease. Outside of surgical removal of the primary tumor, anti-angiogenic therapies such as those targeting VEGF to promote vascular normalization are the first line therapy for renal cell carcinoma patients. Almost all these patients, however, develop resistance and progression of drug-resistant disease. In our recent study, we explored the role of actin-binding protein profilin-1 in regulation of renal cell carcinoma. We show that profilin-1 expression is higher in advanced stage renal cell carcinoma and correlated to lower patient survival. In addition, we note that increased profilin-1 expression is found mainly in tumor-associated vascular endothelial cells (the cells lining blood vessels) in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients. We have demonstrated previously that profilin-1 is important for many fundamental cellular processes such as cell migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation). This study shows for the first-time proof of direct causal relationship between vascular endothelial profilin-1 dysregulation, alternations in tumor microenvironment, and disease progression in kidney cancer. This work also further justifies targeting profilin-1 for therapeutic benefit in kidney cancer.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/16SSVQNiQ7ztdVLafHBMHY https://cassyni.com/events/Bhb7LwqCS8wHaBD4suC3Xs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BFPKwhrAoRiPykhQVHXFU https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q3pqcfXCowhscL9H8phDJd https://cassyni.com/events/Q3pqcfXCowhscL9H8phDJd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MjDtEWsEYKfbgVqYAMKbG2 https://cassyni.com/events/Q3pqcfXCowhscL9H8phDJd?videoPreview=1 Covalent Organic Frameworksnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q3pqcfXCowhscL9H8phDJd?videoPreview=12022-09-08T09:00:00+00:007567.04Thieme GroupStructural periodicity, abundant porosity and functional diversity are characteristics of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Among others, they are used as protective exteriors to incorporate biomolecules in order to enhance their stability and applications. An in-depth view of linkage and host-guest chemistry as well as industrial applications.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MjDtEWsEYKfbgVqYAMKbG2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UVfH2pLvm4h84yu53UTnT7 https://cassyni.com/events/UVfH2pLvm4h84yu53UTnT7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PZz6sPkgP2uvuoTky1FLmC https://cassyni.com/events/UVfH2pLvm4h84yu53UTnT7?videoPreview=1 History of Immunosuppression for Renal Transplantationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/UVfH2pLvm4h84yu53UTnT7?videoPreview=12023-04-03T14:00:00+00:002204.08Imperial College Renal and Transplant CentreNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PZz6sPkgP2uvuoTky1FLmC https://cassyni.com/events/FA9xnMskuhjhRZyFjEQAyb/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FA9xnMskuhjhRZyFjEQAyb https://cassyni.com/events/FA9xnMskuhjhRZyFjEQAyb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4GpiXPTxwRLNKDkkHW1pkv https://cassyni.com/events/FA9xnMskuhjhRZyFjEQAyb?videoPreview=1 Collaboration in Researchnohttps://cassyni.com/events/FA9xnMskuhjhRZyFjEQAyb?videoPreview=12024-03-15T09:00:00+00:00783.04Imperial College Renal and Transplant CentreProfessor Tam opens our second day of the Dialysis Academy 2024 with an address illustrating that in practice and research that if you walk alone you travel fast, if you walk together you travel far.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4GpiXPTxwRLNKDkkHW1pkv https://cassyni.com/events/K7Lo9q3xRNArDERw8LzDaV/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/K7Lo9q3xRNArDERw8LzDaV https://cassyni.com/events/K7Lo9q3xRNArDERw8LzDaV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EayjCnheV7kFakDiqrKBh8 https://cassyni.com/events/K7Lo9q3xRNArDERw8LzDaV?videoPreview=1 Exemplar project 1 - Pulmonary hypertensionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/K7Lo9q3xRNArDERw8LzDaV?videoPreview=12024-06-05T00:00:00+00:003832.32Auckland Bioengineering InstitutePulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease characterised by high pulmonary blood pressures, leading to heart failure and, eventually, death. 12 Labours’ Exemplar Project 1 is focused on improving the diagnosis and phenotyping of PH through patient-specific models that are carefully calibrated to clinical imaging and physiological measurements. We have established a modelling workflow to evaluate response to treatment in a chronic thromboembolic PH patient cohort for whom surgical treatment is an option. Here we present the results of our initial study, outline how this pipeline will be applied to further datasets, and also new imaging biomarkers for potential clinical use and model calibration.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EayjCnheV7kFakDiqrKBh8 https://cassyni.com/events/5HBsrgwG8YfNa3yEDfdoqf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UzNRESjeSMgGWJyaLq7j3t https://cassyni.com/events/9j2KGqkz5fed2hj28KQNz9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/E9GVntSNh4xhNtcQ1mKua6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EfWMjgEEUFBeRoSN8o7NiH https://cassyni.com/events/EfWMjgEEUFBeRoSN8o7NiH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EgGL2aihD9NkcosQE4RPCz https://cassyni.com/events/EfWMjgEEUFBeRoSN8o7NiH?videoPreview=1 Evaluation of classical correlation functions from 2/3D images on CPU and GPU architectures: Introducing CorrelationFunctions.jlnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EfWMjgEEUFBeRoSN8o7NiH?videoPreview=12024-05-15T12:00:00+00:002260.48Computer Physics CommunicationsCorrelation functions are becoming one of the major tools for quantification of structural information that is usually represented as 2D or 3D images of porous material. In this paper we introduce open-source package developed in Julia and capable of computing all classical correlation functions based on imaging input data. Images include both binary and multi-phase representations. Our code is capable of evaluating two-point probability S2, phase cross-correlation ρij, cluster C2, lineal-path L2, surface-surface Fss, surface-void Fsv, pore-size P and chord-length p distribution functions on both CPU and GPU architectures. Where possible, we presented two types of computations: full correlation map (correlations of each point with other points on the image, that also allows obtaining ensemble averaged CF) and directional correlation functions (currently in major orthogonal and diagonal directions). Such an implementation allowed for the first time to assemble a completely free solution to evaluate correlation functions under any operating system with well documented application programming interface (API). Our package includes automatic tests against analytical solutions that are described in the paper. We measured execution times for all CPU and GPU implementations and as a rule of thumb full correlation maps on GPU are faster than other methods. However, full maps require more RAM and, thus, are limited to available RAM resources. On the other hand, directional CFs are memory efficient and can be evaluated for huge datasets – this way they are the first candidates for structural data compression of feature extraction. The package itself is available through Julia package ecosystem and on GitHub, the latter source also contains documentation and additional helpful resources such as tutorials. We believe that a single powerful computational tool such as presented in this paper will significantly facilitate the usage of correlation functions in numerous areas of structural description and research of porous materials, as well as in machine learning applications. We also present some example as applied to ceramic, soil composite and oil-bearing rock samples based on their 3D X-ray tomography and 2D scanning electron microscope images. Finally, we conclude our paper with discussion of possible ways to further improve presented computational framework. - Program Title: CorrelationFunctions.jl - CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/6gb9gfm3dw.1 Developer's repository link: https://github.com/fatimp/CorrelationFunctions.jl - Licensing provisions: MIT - Programming language: Julia - Supplementary material: Numerous Jupiter notebooks with examples are available on the GitHub page **Nature of problem** Correlation functions are invaluable universal statistical descriptors of structures used in numerous scientific fields such as astronomy, material science, rock and soil physics, hydrology and biology, to name just a handful of examples. While computational approaches are available in the literature for some functions, they are fragmented and are usually implemented in proprietary interpreted languages for CPU architecture alone. Solution method: We contribute an open source and cross-platform solution with well documented API for computation of all classical correlation functions from both 2D and 3D images on CPU and GPU architectures. The package computes correlation functions using two approaches: : computation of correlation maps and computation along predefined directions. These two approaches can be thought of as an execution time - memory trade-off, but the choice may also depend on the application. The computations are based on fast Fourier transform with preprocessing steps as cluster labeling or edge detection, and linear scan approach to evaluate correlation functions along predefined directions. Where justified, the algorithms can be executed on both CPU and GPU which results in high execution speed on modern hardware.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EgGL2aihD9NkcosQE4RPCz https://cassyni.com/events/H9DxuoDvWfhp16WTz1cHuX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2oUTMmQKYBK6Ebtaj2NrLN https://cassyni.com/events/Xxg6JJdfgQKAFiDqW45emb/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Xxg6JJdfgQKAFiDqW45emb https://cassyni.com/events/Xxg6JJdfgQKAFiDqW45emb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3wvKQGEoePo9ws9maFqHQi https://cassyni.com/events/Xxg6JJdfgQKAFiDqW45emb?videoPreview=1 An Electromechanical Impedance Measurement-Based Solution for Monitoring Fresh Concrete Maturitynohttps://cassyni.com/events/Xxg6JJdfgQKAFiDqW45emb?videoPreview=12024-05-24T11:30:00+00:00972.88Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and StructuresThis paper proposes an electromechanical impedance measurement (EIM)-based solution for monitoring concrete maturity that refers to concrete strength development at the early stage. A smart aggregate (SMA) that consists of a waterproofed piezoelectric patch is developed. The working principle is explained based on the impedance theory of an electromechanically coupled system. A finite element (FE) model of the EIM-SMA unit is established. The stiffness of the applied spring foundation is varied to emulate the concrete hardening process. The simulation results reveal that a peak located between 60 kHz and 70 kHz in the impedance plot could be used as an indication to reflect the stiffness variation of the spring foundation. A 3D-printed mold is designed for rapid production of the EIM-SMA units. In the experiment, two sample EIM-SMA units are used to monitor fresh concrete maturity in the first six hours after casting. The results of the two sample EIM-SMA units agreed well. The experimental results matched the simulation prediction. Compared to a bar-dropping test that is widely adopted at construction sites, the impedance evolution of an EIM-SMA unit is much smoother and has better monotonicity. In general, the proposed method has been proven to be a reliable solution to monitor the maturity development of concrete. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3wvKQGEoePo9ws9maFqHQi https://cassyni.com/events/SXYSnnWtrNE5rqybu95rn9/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SXYSnnWtrNE5rqybu95rn9 https://cassyni.com/events/SXYSnnWtrNE5rqybu95rn9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KaWABiZNfzZWSHfCEcZ6kW https://cassyni.com/events/SXYSnnWtrNE5rqybu95rn9?videoPreview=1 The Cultural Legacy of Slavery: A Reflection on African American Identity and Family Heritagenohttps://cassyni.com/events/SXYSnnWtrNE5rqybu95rn9?videoPreview=12024-06-20T16:00:00+00:003275.92Lived Places PublishingIn this conversation between **Chris McAuley**, Black Studies Collection Editor at Lived Places Publishing and **Deirdre Foreman**, author of [*My Cultural Legacy: Slave Culture and the American South*](https://livedplacespublishing.com/book/isbn/9781915271662?utm_source=MB&utm_medium=cassyni&utm_campaign=black-studies&utm_content=Foreman), they explore the cultural legacy of enslaved Africans in the American South through an ethnoautobiographical reflection of Deirdre's own African American identity and family heritage. Through storytelling and personal narratives, she describes her family’s cultural practices and how they are directly rooted in those of the enslaved African on the Southern Plantation.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KaWABiZNfzZWSHfCEcZ6kW https://cassyni.com/events/T2C3qUARHpn8rcWVVaNf3T/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DvLqifpXuKzVcbFW6thQjG https://cassyni.com/events/5nK4r5LrR8xpirXKd2AWtd/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5nK4r5LrR8xpirXKd2AWtd https://cassyni.com/events/5nK4r5LrR8xpirXKd2AWtd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7YjLQwBrxXCsokwbMCKBb4 https://cassyni.com/events/5nK4r5LrR8xpirXKd2AWtd?videoPreview=1 Evolution of bioluminescence in Anthozoa with emphasis on Octocorallianohttps://cassyni.com/events/5nK4r5LrR8xpirXKd2AWtd?videoPreview=12024-06-25T14:00:00+00:002761.64Royal Society PublishingBioluminescence is a widespread phenomenon that has evolved multiple times across the tree of life, converging among diverse fauna and habitat types. The ubiquity of bioluminescence, particularly in marine environments where it is commonly used for communication and defense, highlights the adaptive value of this trait, though the evolutionary origins and timing of emergence remain elusive for a majority of luminous organisms. Anthozoan cnidarians are a diverse group of animals with numerous bioluminescent species found throughout the world's oceans, from shallow waters to the light-limited deep sea where bioluminescence is particularly prominent. This study documents the presence of bioluminescent Anthozoa across depth and explores the diversity and evolutionary origins of bioluminescence among Octocorallia—a major anthozoan group of marine luminous organisms. Using a phylogenomic approach and ancestral state reconstruction, we provide evidence for a single origin of bioluminescence in Octocorallia and infer the age of occurrence to around the Cambrian era, approximately 540 Ma—setting a new record for the earliest timing of emergence of bioluminescence in the marine environment. Our results further suggest this trait was largely maintained in descendants of a deep-water ancestor and bioluminescent capabilities may have facilitated anthozoan diversification in the deep sea.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7YjLQwBrxXCsokwbMCKBb4 https://cassyni.com/events/2KmqXHpBLw6BhADkyMnZMo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NPhbkaocD8zPkvthug3noY https://cassyni.com/events/4o1rki3oYDrg46hKX3hC5j/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4o1rki3oYDrg46hKX3hC5j https://cassyni.com/events/4o1rki3oYDrg46hKX3hC5j/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Ei98TxcXbUtGzzYVyEcKL2 https://cassyni.com/events/4o1rki3oYDrg46hKX3hC5j?videoPreview=1 Discrete Element Methods for Arbitrarily Shaped Granular Materialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4o1rki3oYDrg46hKX3hC5j?videoPreview=12024-06-07T12:00:00+00:004514.04Granular MatterGranular materials consist of a large number of irregularly shaped solid particles that exist widely in nature or in industrial production. The discrete element method (DEM) was proposed by Cundall and Strack, and it is crucial for understanding the macroscopic mechanical behaviors of granular materials in different engineering fields. Traditional DEMs, primarily using three-dimensional spheres, offer computational simplicity but fail to capture the multiple collisions and interlocking of non-spherical granular materials. Meanwhile, large deformations and high-performance computations of granular materials remain difficult for DEM simulations. Therefore, this seminar addresses major challenges in the numerical modeling of arbitrarily shaped granular materials, involving discrete element methods, large deformation algorithms, GPU parallel computing, and applications to granular flows and ship-ice interaction. We also analyze the macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of granular materials to accurately understand the underlying physical mechanisms of non-spherical granular flows, providing essential numerical tools and theoretical evidence for the complex mechanical problems of granular materials in different engineering fields.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Ei98TxcXbUtGzzYVyEcKL2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DC38YL3j11GfDS3nau2FJd https://cassyni.com/events/DC38YL3j11GfDS3nau2FJd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DTHvxCcG6c6z9ZokMZ1T4A https://cassyni.com/events/DC38YL3j11GfDS3nau2FJd?videoPreview=1 SINDy-RL: Interpretable and Efficient Model-Based Reinforcement Learningnohttps://cassyni.com/events/DC38YL3j11GfDS3nau2FJd?videoPreview=12024-05-16T14:00:00+00:001287.2Brunton LabDeep reinforcement learning (DRL) has shown significant promise for uncovering sophisticated control policies that interact in environments with complicated dynamics, such as stabilizing the magnetohydrodynamics of a tokamak fusion reactor or minimizing the drag force exerted on an object in a fluid flow. However, these algorithms require an abundance of training examples and may become prohibitively expensive for many applications. In addition, the reliance on deep neural networks often results in an uninterpretable, black-box policy that may be too computationally expensive to use with certain embedded systems. Recent advances in sparse dictionary learning, such as the sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics (SINDy), have shown promise for creating efficient and interpretable data-driven models in the low-data regime. In this work we introduce SINDy-RL, a unifying framework for combining SINDy and DRL to create efficient, interpretable, and trustworthy representations of the dynamics model, reward function, and control policy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approaches on benchmark control environments and challenging fluids problems. SINDy-RL achieves comparable performance to state-of-the-art DRL algorithms using significantly fewer interactions in the environment and results in an interpretable control policy orders of magnitude smaller than a deep neural network policy.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DTHvxCcG6c6z9ZokMZ1T4A https://cassyni.com/events/Vz7JECZTKw2ViEjnkUHzDs/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Vz7JECZTKw2ViEjnkUHzDs https://cassyni.com/events/Vz7JECZTKw2ViEjnkUHzDs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VgPmTpypfwCC1pXCEyquo4 https://cassyni.com/events/Vz7JECZTKw2ViEjnkUHzDs?videoPreview=1 The nature of the Laplace resonance between the Galilean moons, Low-energy Earth–Moon transfers via Theory of Functional Connections and homotopynohttps://cassyni.com/events/Vz7JECZTKw2ViEjnkUHzDs?videoPreview=12024-07-12T13:00:00+00:004195.92Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical AstronomyThe Laplace resonance is a mean-motion resonance that involves the three inner Galilean moons of Jupiter. However, its true nature is in part unclear; in particular, different views can be found in the literature on whether the Laplace resonance is a pure three-body resonance or a mere superposition of two-body resonances. To settle this question, we conduct a thorough analysis of the many resonances involved, starting from the two-body 2:1 commensurabilities of the couples Io–Europa and Europa–Ganymede, and ending with the three-body 4:2:1 commensurability between the three moons. By artificially varying the parameters of the system and monitoring its fundamental frequencies, we cartography all resonances involved and their interactions. From the analysis of the individual 2:1 commensurabilities, we find that despite the oscillation of the resonant angles they are not genuine resonances, as the trajectory of the system in the phase space is not enclosed by separatrices. On the contrary, as suggested by previous works, we show that the only current true mean-motion resonance is the pure three-body resonance between all three satellites. Moreover, we find that the current values of the moons’ orbital elements make the Laplace resonance sufficiently separated from the individual two-body 2:1 resonances, preventing chaotic effects from appearing. Numerous missions leverage the weak stability boundary in the Earth–Moon–Sun system to achieve a safe and cost-effective access to the lunar environment. These transfers are envisaged to play a significant role in upcoming missions. This paper proposes a novel method to design low-energy transfers by combining the recent Theory of Functional Connections with a homotopic continuation approach. Planar patched transfer legs within the Earth–Moon and Sun–Earth systems are continued into higher-fidelity models. Eventually, the full Earth–Moon transfer is adjusted to conform to the dynamics of the planar Earth–Moon Sun-perturbed, bi-circular restricted four-body problem. The novelty lies in the avoidance of any propagation during the continuation process and final convergence. This formulation is beneficial when an extensive grid search is performed, automatically generating over 2000 low-energy transfers. Subsequently, these are optimized through a standard direct transcription and multiple shooting algorithm. This work illustrates that two-impulse low-energy transfers modeled in chaotic dynamic environments can be effectively formulated in Theory of Functional Connections, hence simplifying their overall design process. Moreover, its synergy with a homotopic continuation approach is demonstrated.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VgPmTpypfwCC1pXCEyquo4 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CCjvSxkg86AWYgDnUvYvVj https://cassyni.com/events/CCjvSxkg86AWYgDnUvYvVj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EczrLxxTCuFP7TZHDtpGBx https://cassyni.com/events/CCjvSxkg86AWYgDnUvYvVj?videoPreview=1 The genetic basis of a novel self-recognition system in Phlox drummondii (Polemoniaceae)nohttps://cassyni.com/events/CCjvSxkg86AWYgDnUvYvVj?videoPreview=12024-06-06T13:45:00+00:00859.68New Phytologist Foundation Genetic mechanisms to recognize and reject self-pollen (termed “self-incompatibility”) have evolved independently many times throughout flowering plant evolution. Of the four known mechanisms, each achieves self-incompatibility through distinct molecular pathways with a unique genetic basis, and most self-recognition systems remain uncharacterized. We combine classical genetic crosses with genomic tools to identify the genetic basis of a novel self-recognition mechanism in the wildflower, *Phlox drummondii*. We find no expression of known self-recognition genes (so called “S-loci”) in pistil transcriptomes, consistent with a currently uncharacterized self-recognition mechanism having evolved in the lineage containing *Phlox*. We use a bulk segregant analysis to map self-recognition to a single genomic region in two independent populations. Analyses of expression and polymorphism for genes within this region narrow our search to a single gene candidate. Allelic variation at this gene predicts cross-compatibility in a full diallel cross, providing further confirmation of its role in self-recognition. Our work identifies the genetic basis of a novel self-recognition system in flowering plants, adding to our understanding of the diverse mechanisms through which flowering plants achieve this evolutionarily significant phenotype.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EczrLxxTCuFP7TZHDtpGBx https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/NaPEXwrak4ifDfDKnbSFos https://cassyni.com/events/NaPEXwrak4ifDfDKnbSFos/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VC8BD8YS9uaDmNzsL9n4yU https://cassyni.com/events/NaPEXwrak4ifDfDKnbSFos?videoPreview=1 Panel discussion: Careers in plant sciencenohttps://cassyni.com/events/NaPEXwrak4ifDfDKnbSFos?videoPreview=12024-06-07T16:30:00+00:002948.12New Phytologist Foundation No abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VC8BD8YS9uaDmNzsL9n4yU https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Mb9GfqbJfsTsVRFgRZ4Mhf https://cassyni.com/events/Mb9GfqbJfsTsVRFgRZ4Mhf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PJk7tzjKLtpnwTRT8mQDWe https://cassyni.com/events/Mb9GfqbJfsTsVRFgRZ4Mhf?videoPreview=1 Ethics of microbiome research with Indigenous populations: the case of the Hadzabe communitynohttps://cassyni.com/events/Mb9GfqbJfsTsVRFgRZ4Mhf?videoPreview=12024-05-21T11:00:00+00:001364.0Microbiome Virtual International Forum With clinical applications of microbiome research now feasible, it is imperative that the science conducted, particularly among Indigenous communities, adheres to principles of inclusion and is community-based. This entails shared decision making on how biological samples are collected and who benefits from research and any derived products. Here, we share experiences from our own research endeavors with views from our own vantage points, one as an Indigenous human rights attorney and anthropological research assistant (Mangola) and one as a long time researcher with a key participant community in the microbiome research space (Crittenden). We introduce our approach that entails promising practices to carry out more ethical microbiome research with Indigenous communities.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PJk7tzjKLtpnwTRT8mQDWe https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6mh9HLBZW8rFBUxyQuEd9w https://cassyni.com/events/6mh9HLBZW8rFBUxyQuEd9w/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/X19dCak2DvVpohxYjKEKie https://cassyni.com/events/6mh9HLBZW8rFBUxyQuEd9w?videoPreview=1 Nonlinear Waves in Active Non-Hermitian Metamaterialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/6mh9HLBZW8rFBUxyQuEd9w?videoPreview=12024-10-22T13:00:00+00:003735.04MetaMATI will address nonlinear waves in non-reciprocal metamaterials, a class of non-Hermitian systems characterised by active elements that produce constant asymmetric couplings between their components. In the linear regime, these systems exhibit both real and complex energy spectra, as well as out-of-equilibrium phenomena such as unidirectional wave amplification, known as the non-Hermitian skin effect. I will first extend this effect into the nonlinear regime, demonstrating the emergence of nonlinear skin states that evolve from their linear counterparts. Next, I will explore the interplay between the skin effect, topology, and nonlinearity, highlighting how this interaction can lead to nonlinear edge states with behaviours distinct from those of nonlinear skin modes. These nonlinear edge and skin states belong to a class of spatially localised, standing nonlinear solutions that appear at the system's interface. Finally, I will discuss how the formation mechanisms, stability, and dynamics of these solutions differ from, and sometimes surpass, what is typically achievable with Hermitian systems. This work is in collaboration with Vassos Achilleos.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/X19dCak2DvVpohxYjKEKie https://cassyni.com/events/2pT4gbybBka1WdDGmTuXY1/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2pT4gbybBka1WdDGmTuXY1 https://cassyni.com/events/2pT4gbybBka1WdDGmTuXY1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Fre8VEE7XMnyXs1Dbu6UaJ https://cassyni.com/events/2pT4gbybBka1WdDGmTuXY1?videoPreview=1 What is a company?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/2pT4gbybBka1WdDGmTuXY1?videoPreview=12024-08-02T01:00:00+00:004921.04SACLIn this talk, Susan will consider what might be described as the first question in corporate law, and also the last: what is a company? Despite the iniquitousness of the corporate legal form, defining exactly what a company is remains surprisingly contested and unsettled. The presentation will cast an historical lens over the legal form and in doing so attempt to define what company is by taking account of its constitutive parts and how they came together as the modern company in 1657. The origins of directors' duties will also be considered. In the final part of the presentation, she will apply the insights to consider briefly the modern company as a legal entity in its own right. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Fre8VEE7XMnyXs1Dbu6UaJ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DgiMheD8qpkV2u3JP19DUq https://cassyni.com/events/DgiMheD8qpkV2u3JP19DUq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G3qB76BChFqNM227N4DXUS https://cassyni.com/events/DgiMheD8qpkV2u3JP19DUq?videoPreview=1 Characterizing bounded orthogonally additive polynomialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/DgiMheD8qpkV2u3JP19DUq?videoPreview=12021-03-25T14:00:00+00:002807.64Positivity Journal, SpringerNatureWe provide several characterizations of bounded orthogonally additive polynomials on vector lattices in this talk.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G3qB76BChFqNM227N4DXUS https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/ChR9cGv5xueLN9DJH2ftfw https://cassyni.com/events/ChR9cGv5xueLN9DJH2ftfw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FyoXkQ8zdivzx7KzjHPcDC https://cassyni.com/events/ChR9cGv5xueLN9DJH2ftfw?videoPreview=1 Bio/electro-magnetic applications in the gutnohttps://cassyni.com/events/ChR9cGv5xueLN9DJH2ftfw?videoPreview=12024-08-06T04:00:00+00:003463.56The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteBio/electro-magnetic fields play a crucial role in the assessment of organ functions, healthcare innovations, and therapeutic applications. This seminar will provide an overview of the pioneering projects I lead at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. These projects leverage bio/electro-magnetic fields to develop novel techniques for gastric electro-anatomical mapping and source imaging and real-time guidance for the clinical applications.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FyoXkQ8zdivzx7KzjHPcDC https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/M6U3WXRtq3z3fxGAdSwPXT https://cassyni.com/events/M6U3WXRtq3z3fxGAdSwPXT/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Lfpf7kD3nmYvgy4y7SXQSz https://cassyni.com/events/M6U3WXRtq3z3fxGAdSwPXT?videoPreview=1 Tröger's base-Amino-1,8-Naphthalimides - An Emerging Supramolecular Scaffolds for Self-Assembly Structures and Materials Designnohttps://cassyni.com/events/M6U3WXRtq3z3fxGAdSwPXT?videoPreview=12024-08-26T10:00:00+00:002968.04Tetrahedron Chem and Tetrahedron Green ChemSupramolecular self-assembly chemistry provides a fascinating platform for developing functional structures and materials that can have applications in various fields [1]. Self-assembly is the spontaneous association of components into well-defined ensembles based on the information embedded in the components [2]. In the past few years, we have been interested in the rational design and synthesis of amino-1,8-naphthalimide-derived Tröger’s bases (TBNaps) fluorophores and employ them as bifunctional supramolecular scaffolds to generate hierarchical functional structures and novel materials for applications within the material and medicinal chemistry fields [2-7]. TBNaps are fascinating chiral scaffolds, comprising a methano-1,5-diazocine ring fused with two 1,8-naphthalimide molecules placed orthogonal to each other giving rise to a unique V-shaped structure possessing a hydrophobic cavity [3]. The ease of synthesis, its unique cleft-shaped structure, and its interesting photophysics have made TBNaps an attractive scaffold for use in host-guest systems and numerous supramolecular constructs [4-8]. We have developed several interesting structures, materials, and polymers made from TBNaps and demonstrated their applications. For instance, a novel Tröger’s base p-cymene–Ru(II)–curcumin organometallic conjugate was used as a theranostic agent against cervical cancer cells [6-8]. Recently, we have developed a TBNaps functionalized Triazine covalent organic polymer for ‘turn-on’ fluorescent sensing of volatile organic pollutants [9-14]. In this talk, I will discuss in detail the recent advancements in supramolecular self-assembly formations of novel structures and functional materials made from TBNaps. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Lfpf7kD3nmYvgy4y7SXQSz https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6H1v8229fKNRN1yTco7eyj https://cassyni.com/events/6H1v8229fKNRN1yTco7eyj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NpGFY6B7Kbq49ngWnPmLbY https://cassyni.com/events/6H1v8229fKNRN1yTco7eyj?videoPreview=1 Distinctive signatures of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant potentials in the hadal microbiomenohttps://cassyni.com/events/6H1v8229fKNRN1yTco7eyj?videoPreview=12021-10-14T12:00:00+00:00560.04Microbiome Virtual International Forum Background: Hadal zone of the deep-sea trenches accommodates microbial life under extreme energy limitations and environmental conditions, such as low temperature, high pressure, and low organic matter down to 11,000 meters below sea level. However, microbial pathogenicity, resistance, and adaptation therein remain unknown, especially identifying the genetic mobility of resistance and pathogenicity in unculturable trench bacteria is a great challenge. This study aims to depict the landscape of virulome, antibiotic resistome and mobilome of the hadal zone microbiota of the Mariana Trench. Method: The landscape of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes was depicted based on high-throughput metagenomic sequencing analysis using both sequence-based and domain-based annotation methods. The mobility and spread potentials of ARGs and virulence genes via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) were examined by checking their co-occurrence with MGEs. Results and Discussion: i) the Challenger Deep bottom (10,898-m) sediment harbored prosperous microbiota with contrasting signatures of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance (Fig. 1b and 2b), compared with the other Marian Trench sediment; ii) both the abundance and richness of ARGs greatly differed across sediment sites in the following increasing trend: SM10898 - SM6038 - SP5856 (Fig. 2a). Surprisingly, the bottom site of the Challenger Deep was found to still harbor 20 subtypes of known ARGs. Both the abundance (1.08 to 1.12×10-1 GP16S each) and diversity (127 to 153 subtypes) of the hadal seawater ARGs (Fig. 2b) were surprisingly high in the hadal seawater of the Mariana trench. The abundance of ARGs in seawater is higher than that in sediments by up to two orders of magnitude, deterministic natural processes drivers the resistome differences between hadal sediment and seawater including habitat (environmental) filtering and biotic interactions (e.g., competition). iii) HGT mediated by phage and integrase as the major mechanism for the evolution of Mariana Trench sediment bacteria (Fig. 3a); iv) substantial co-selection of virulence genes and ARGs in taxonomically diverse bacteria in the hadal sediment, especially for the Challenger Deep bottom where mobilized ARGs and virulence genes are favorably enriched in largely unexplored bacteria (Fig. 4).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NpGFY6B7Kbq49ngWnPmLbY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/8kFwMSFmrc8uixT2AV2Hhf https://cassyni.com/events/8kFwMSFmrc8uixT2AV2Hhf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KMj2DJeSFPxNSscjDdVenS https://cassyni.com/events/8kFwMSFmrc8uixT2AV2Hhf?videoPreview=1 Transcription shifts in gut bacteria shared between mothers and infantsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/8kFwMSFmrc8uixT2AV2Hhf?videoPreview=12021-12-08T16:00:00+00:0077.68Microbiome Virtual International Forum A portion of strains in the infant gut microbiomes originate from the maternal gut. In the infant gut these bacteria encounter a new metabolic environment that differs from the adult gut, potentially requiring adjustments in their activities. We used community RNA sequencing data (metatranscriptomes) from ten mother-infant dyads participating in the NiPPeR Study to characterize bacterial gene expression shifts following mother-to-infant transmission. Maternally-derived bacterial strains exhibited large scale gene expression shifts following the transmission to the infant gut, with 12,564 activated and 14,844 deactivated gene families. The implicated genes were most numerous and the magnitude shifts greatest in Bacteroides spp. and included genes involved in, for example, carbohydrate utilisation and lysogenic phage activity. Community functions were contrastingly different between mothers and infants on DNA, but not on RNA level; this suggests that bacteria compensated for variations in DNA gene abundance by collectively adjusting gene expression to maintain diverse and stable community activity profiles. Collectively, these data demonstrate environment-dependent, strain-specific shifts in gut bacteria function and underscores the importance of metatranscriptomic analysis in microbiome studies.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KMj2DJeSFPxNSscjDdVenS https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/LXsfBYuGjqPxvG7cKQfFb https://cassyni.com/events/LXsfBYuGjqPxvG7cKQfFb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G2VJiqc5JMrkyxCY9oW2pn https://cassyni.com/events/LXsfBYuGjqPxvG7cKQfFb?videoPreview=1 The genetic and ecological landscape of plasmids in the human gutnohttps://cassyni.com/events/LXsfBYuGjqPxvG7cKQfFb?videoPreview=12022-02-08T13:00:00+00:00700.0Microbiome Virtual International Forum Plasmids are mobile genetic elements that often carry key determinants of fitness, yet their diversity in natural systems is poorly understood. Here we trained a machine learning model on reference genomes to recognize the genetic architecture of plasmids. We applied our model to a global collection of human gut metagenomes to identify 68,350 non-redundant plasmids, which represent a 200-fold increase in the number of detectable plasmids in the human gut. This broad view of plasmid diversity revealed 1,169 ‘plasmid systems’, an evolutionary phenomenon where a backbone sequence with core plasmid functions, such as replication, is recombined with cargo functions, such as antibiotic resistance, depending on the environment. This work unearths the astonishing diversity of plasmids and provides a framework for studying their ecology and evolution.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/G2VJiqc5JMrkyxCY9oW2pn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/3omttbnXU2btKrjgA1KHyX https://cassyni.com/events/3omttbnXU2btKrjgA1KHyX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XqD265nyweeAM1YmRUicK8 https://cassyni.com/events/3omttbnXU2btKrjgA1KHyX?videoPreview=1 Software testing in microbial bioinformatics: a call to actionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/3omttbnXU2btKrjgA1KHyX?videoPreview=12022-05-10T14:00:00+00:0089.04Microbiome Virtual International Forum Computational algorithms have become an essential component of microbiome research, with great efforts by the scientific community to raise standards on the development and distribution of code. Despite these efforts, sustainability and reproducibility are major issues since continued validation through software testing is still not a widely adopted practice. In the field of microbial bioinformatics, good software engineering practices are not yet widely adopted. Many microbial bioinformaticians start out as (micro)biologists and subsequently learn how to code. Without abundant formal training, a lot of education about good software engineering practices comes down to an exchange of information within the microbial bioinformatics community. Here, we report seven recommendations that help researchers implement software testing in microbial bioinformatics. These recommendations are: Establish software needs and testing goals; Use appropriate input test files; Use an easy-to-follow language format to implement testing; Try to automate testing; Test across multiple computational setups; and Encourage others to test your software. We propose collaborative software testing as an opportunity to continuously engage software users, developers, and students to unify scientific work across domains. As automated software testing remains underused in scientific software, our set of recommendations not only ensures appropriate effort can be invested into producing high quality and robust software but also increases engagement in its sustainability. We have developed these recommendations based on our experience from a collaborative hackathon organised prior to the American Society for Microbiology Next Generation Sequencing (ASM NGS) 2020 conference. We also present a repository hosting examples and guidelines for testing, available from https://github.com/microbinfie-hackathon2020/CSIS. Link to OA paper: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000790https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XqD265nyweeAM1YmRUicK8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/AirMYAqscSMfpfjFXStE8D https://cassyni.com/events/AirMYAqscSMfpfjFXStE8D/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Na3wUGQtiKFxajAdYqRuMg https://cassyni.com/events/AirMYAqscSMfpfjFXStE8D?videoPreview=1 Longitudinal analysis at three oral sites links oral microbiota to clinical outcomes in allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantnohttps://cassyni.com/events/AirMYAqscSMfpfjFXStE8D?videoPreview=12022-12-14T10:00:00+00:0054.68Microbiome Virtual International Forum Background Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for several hematological disorders. Before stem-cell infusion, recipients undergo a conditioning regimen with chemo/radiotherapy and immunosuppressants, requiring the use of antibiotics to treat and prevent infections. This regimen promotes drastic alterations in the recipient′s microbiotas, including the oral microbiota, which have been associated with allo-HSCT complications and poor outcomes. However, long-term longitudinal studies on the oral microbiota of allo-HSCT recipients are scarce and disregard the existence of distinct microbiotas within the oral cavity. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the microbiota dynamics (during and after allo-HSCT) of 31 allo-HSCT recipients at 3 oral sites (gingival crevicular fluid, oral mucosa, and supragingival biofilm). Results Analysis of the oral microbiota dynamics during allo-HSCT revealed a significant decline in bacterial diversity and major shifts in microbiota composition in all oral sites, including blooms of potentially pathogenic genera. These blooms in some cases preceded respiratory infections caused by the blooming genera. We also noticed that differences in microbiota diversity and composition between oral sites were lost during allo-HSCT. Overall, oral microbiotas returned to their preconditioning state after engraftment. However, the ability to recover the initial bacterial composition varied between patients. After stratifying patients based on their ability to recover their preconditioning microbiota composition, we found that recovery of the oral mucosa microbiota composition was not associated with antibiotic usage but was associated with higher preconditioning diversity and earlier reconstitution of normal leukocyte counts. Most notably, oral mucosa microbiota composition recovery was an independent biomarker of better allo-HSCT outcomes. Conclusion We observed clear patterns of microbiota dysbiosis in all three oral sites during allo-HSCT, however each oral site responded differently to the perturbations associated with allo-HSCT. Oral microbiota injury and recovery patterns were associated with allo-HSCT complications and outcomes. This study highlights the potential clinical impact of the oral microbiota in the allo-HSCT setting and the clinical value of tracking oral microbiota changes during allo-HSCT. Link to OA paper: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.18.22282520v1https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Na3wUGQtiKFxajAdYqRuMg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/J8c3M44dbfbETix7mtgQAq https://cassyni.com/events/J8c3M44dbfbETix7mtgQAq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9MQBE4BrYMGfxkqx3cZtw8 https://cassyni.com/events/J8c3M44dbfbETix7mtgQAq?videoPreview=1 Delayed gut microbiota maturation in the first year of life is a hallmark of pediatric allergic diseasenohttps://cassyni.com/events/J8c3M44dbfbETix7mtgQAq?videoPreview=12023-10-17T11:00:00+00:00810.0Microbiome Virtual International Forum Allergic diseases affect millions of people worldwide. An increase in their prevalence has been associated with alterations in the gut microbiome, i.e., the microorganisms and their genes within the gastrointestinal tract. Maturation of the infant immune system and gut microbiota occur in parallel; thus, the conformation of the microbiome may determine if tolerant immune pro- gramming arises within the infant. Here we show, using deeply phenotyped participants in the CHILD birth cohort (n = 1115), that there are early-life influences and microbiome features which are uniformly associated with four distinct allergic diagnoses at 5 years: atopic dermatitis (AD, n = 367), asthma (As, n = 165), food allergy (FA, n = 136), and allergic rhinitis (AR, n = 187). In a subset with shotgun metagenomic and metabolomic profiling (n = 589), we discover that impaired 1-year microbiota maturation may be universal to pediatric allergies (AD p = 0.000014; As p = 0.0073; FA p = 0.00083; and AR p = 0.0021). Extending this, we find a core set of functional and metabolic imbalances characterized by compromised mucous integrity, elevated oxida- tive activity, decreased secondary fermentation, and elevated trace amines, to be a significant mediator between microbiota maturation at age 1 year and allergic diagnoses at age 5 years (βindirect = −2.28; p = 0.0020). Microbiota maturation thus provides a focal point to identify deviations from normative development to predict and prevent allergic disease. Link to publication (OA): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40336-4https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9MQBE4BrYMGfxkqx3cZtw8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Lbr4aUJFnxMipfRgKab2tm https://cassyni.com/events/Lbr4aUJFnxMipfRgKab2tm/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8Lnhm6g9jUd135udnSw8RL https://cassyni.com/events/Lbr4aUJFnxMipfRgKab2tm?videoPreview=1 Targeting the microbiome to promote health and end cancernohttps://cassyni.com/events/Lbr4aUJFnxMipfRgKab2tm?videoPreview=12024-01-09T10:00:00+00:001848.0Microbiome Virtual International Forum No abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8Lnhm6g9jUd135udnSw8RL https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UzsLN6JBFjmhyzn9PRv67f https://cassyni.com/events/UzsLN6JBFjmhyzn9PRv67f/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DYup7sBpGjyWB9rQNgcNZc https://cassyni.com/events/UzsLN6JBFjmhyzn9PRv67f?videoPreview=1 Worldwide presence of Blastocystis in the human gut microbiome is linked to healthier dietary regimes and lower body mass indexnohttps://cassyni.com/events/UzsLN6JBFjmhyzn9PRv67f?videoPreview=12023-05-17T11:00:00+00:0061.04Microbiome Virtual International Forum The human body is inhabited by a community of diverse bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, and microeukaryotes, collectively called the human microbiome, that impact human health. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing enables high-resolution profiling of all members of the community. While the bacterial constituents have been investigated extensively, organisms from other domains, such as eukaryotes, are currently underexplored. Blastocystis spp. is a common eukaryotic protist that lives in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other animals. The ecological and clinical significance of Blastocystis is still controversial, as it has been associated both with gastrointestinal symptoms and has been found in asymptomatic individuals. We performed a large-scale data harmonization and analysis of more than 50,000 metagenomic samples (34,687 from the ZOE PREDICT Studies, 13,928 from 68 public studies on humans, and 4,623 animal samples from 50 public studies) to investigate Blastocystis presence in the gut microbiome. Our results suggest a potentially favorable role for Blastocystis. We observed a worldwide presence of Blastocystis among healthy individuals with prevalence variability linked to host age, lifestyle, and geographical provenance. We established a dose-dependent coupling of Blastocystis carriage and diet quality, showing that Blastocystis-positive individuals tended to consume healthier, less-processed, fiber-enriched foods. Moreover, we show that the presence of Blastocystis was associated with favorable near-term fasting and postprandial cardiometabolic markers, such as lower GlycA and higher HDL. Finally, we reveal through meta-analysis a robust and reproducible association between the presence of Blastocystis and a lower body mass index, as well as reduced risk for inflammatory bowel diseases, colorectal cancer, and diabetes. Overall, the widespread presence of Blastocystis among healthy individuals suggests that, although associated with disease in certain conditions, it could be a non-pathogenic member of the gut microbiome. Further genomic studies are needed to unravel the specific role of Blastocystis subspecies in human health and disease. Finally, our work serves as an example of how shotgun metagenomic datasets can help investigate the non-bacterial components of the human microbiome.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DYup7sBpGjyWB9rQNgcNZc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VVEiGUnqfb4YCD7F3HiCM3 https://cassyni.com/events/VVEiGUnqfb4YCD7F3HiCM3/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JQy9mmV258rkd3L7g1TNAr https://cassyni.com/events/VVEiGUnqfb4YCD7F3HiCM3?videoPreview=1 Nonlinear Propagation of Solitary Wave in a Tubular Origami Designed Metamaterial: An Idealized Elastic Modelnohttps://cassyni.com/events/VVEiGUnqfb4YCD7F3HiCM3?videoPreview=12025-06-24T02:00:00+00:001090.4NODYSKresling origami is one of the patterns based on a non-rigid, elastically foldable structure composed of a network of creases. The primary emphasis in this field is on the kinematic analysis of deployment to enhance compactness and explore unique static mechanical properties, such as auxeticity. The main focus is to analyze the actuation mechanism in the static domain, stability, and bifurcations using the Kresling pattern by varying geometric parameters. In this study, we have designed and analyzed a unique tubular material-based multiunit Kresling model, demonstrating the magnetic-driven actuation and segment-wise wave propagation of structures while simultaneously analyzing their static actuation characteristics. We have designed triangulated tubular origami-based metamaterials that enable the strain-softening/hardening characteristics via elastically deformable material-inspired design. To investigate the mechanical properties of triangulated non-rigid Kresling origami-inspired metamaterials with the actuation ability of hard-magnetic active materials, we have used finite element simulation for modeling the Kresling structures and determining the actuation characteristics under axial and rotational conditions. We develop a mathematical model for triangulated 2DOF spring-based Kresling origami. We investigate the magnetic-based deformable Kresling model and solitary wave dynamics in the triangulated Kresling origami metamaterials system. The numerical findings suggest that the Kresling origami structures have excellent potential for creating complex and deployable systems in various engineering applications, including vibration absorption, soft robotics, and medical devices.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JQy9mmV258rkd3L7g1TNAr https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UVwWB7VnnfxPXTHEwKEsY9 https://cassyni.com/events/UVwWB7VnnfxPXTHEwKEsY9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DMMLAPcmyZ7oN1V8tVBLzS https://cassyni.com/events/UVwWB7VnnfxPXTHEwKEsY9?videoPreview=1 Attractor-Driven Matternohttps://cassyni.com/events/UVwWB7VnnfxPXTHEwKEsY9?videoPreview=12025-06-24T11:00:00+00:00549.48NODYSAttractors such as fixed points, limit cycles and strange attractors arise in nonlinear dynamical systems, however, such attractors may also be used to drive complex dynamics. By using a low-dimensional chaotic dynamical system to model each particle’s internal state space, we present a new class of matter coined “attractor-driven matter”. Through illustrative examples, I will show how attractor-driven particles when combined with particle-particle interactions and environment can give rise to complex dynamical and emergent behaviors reminiscent of active matter. The formalism may be applicable more broadly, to model complex dynamical and emergent behaviors in a variety of contexts.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DMMLAPcmyZ7oN1V8tVBLzS https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5HU6zz68A9ve2XMQ7WQtvh https://cassyni.com/events/5HU6zz68A9ve2XMQ7WQtvh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CVDXLCEcD19g7Vyuuu19pS https://cassyni.com/events/5HU6zz68A9ve2XMQ7WQtvh?videoPreview=1 Fourier series-based algorithm for control optimization in pendulum capsule drive: an experimental studynohttps://cassyni.com/events/5HU6zz68A9ve2XMQ7WQtvh?videoPreview=12025-06-24T11:00:00+00:00691.6NODYSThis study presents a novel greedy version of a Fourier series-based algorithm for control optimization in a pendulum capsule drive. The method improves computational efficiency by optimizing the control function in smaller segments. A 3D-printed prototype with a PID-controlled actuation system validates the approach experimentally. Results show that the optimized control enhances locomotion, with speed increasing as more harmonics are used. Experimental findings closely match numerical predictions, with minor discrepancies attributed to friction modeling and mechanical backlash. The proposed method proves effective for optimizing control in nonlinear and discontinuous systems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CVDXLCEcD19g7Vyuuu19pS https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DBsPrYxQaqiJLZsNsVPbWu https://cassyni.com/events/DBsPrYxQaqiJLZsNsVPbWu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XUdqZZEqH7eDGeDfkDMeUE https://cassyni.com/events/DBsPrYxQaqiJLZsNsVPbWu?videoPreview=1 Open magnetic trap with a helically symmetric multiple-mirror pluggingnohttps://cassyni.com/events/DBsPrYxQaqiJLZsNsVPbWu?videoPreview=12025-06-19T15:00:00+00:003926.68Journal of Plasma PhysicsMagnetic mirrors for plasma confinement are being considered as a possible way for fusion again. One of the central questions in mirror research is how to suppress particle and energy losses along the magnetic field lines. There are several possible solutions of this problem. Here, we discuss one specific approach to multiple-mirror confinement. The multiple-mirror confinement reduces axial losses due to the momentum transfer between the periodic magnetic field and the trapped ions. Moving multiple mirrors improve the confinement; this configuration can be achieved by the plasma rotation in the helically corrugated magnetic field. The concept of the helical mirror has been experimentally validated in a laboratory-scale experiment SMOLA at the Budker INP. Direct evidence of the helical confinement has been obtained, with the plasma density in the confinement region increasing more than threefold under optimal experimental conditions compared to the solenoidal magnetic configuration. Remarkably, enhanced confinement persists even at low densities where the ion mean free path relative to binary collisions exceeds the device length, and the multiple-mirror confinement is possible only in case of anomalous scattering. In this talk, we summarize the experimental findings and discuss the possibility to bridge the gap between the laboratory-scale device and fusion-grade ones.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XUdqZZEqH7eDGeDfkDMeUE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Ff7R5yC2n8UnhWLwRBJEEq https://cassyni.com/events/Ff7R5yC2n8UnhWLwRBJEEq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SHpzaNwpfoqEPVPDKAqr2r https://cassyni.com/events/Ff7R5yC2n8UnhWLwRBJEEq?videoPreview=1 Turbulence in collisionless, high-beta plasmasnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Ff7R5yC2n8UnhWLwRBJEEq?videoPreview=12024-05-09T15:00:00+00:002973.92Journal of Plasma PhysicsOwing to their simplicity, the MHD equations have enjoyed a long tenure as the go-to model for describing turbulence in astrophysical environments ranging from the solar wind to the intracluster medium of galaxy clusters (ICM). Unfortunately, the vast majority of these astrophysical plasmas can only be considered weakly collisional at best, meaning significant deviations from the MHD assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium are not only possible but common. Additionally, recent studies have increasingly found that the various nonequilibrium- and micro-physics of the weakly collisional regime can fundamentally transform the global evolution of such astro-plasmas, especially when the plasma beta is of order unity or larger. In this talk, I will explore the consequences of micro-instabilities and anisotropic pressure-stress on collisionless, high-beta turbulence to distinguish what essential physics of the MHD model remains, and what must be done away with. This will be accomplished through analytical and numerical means, beginning with an examination of the individual waves that form the foundation of collisionless plasma turbulence, and ending with the collective, self-organization effect known as ‘magneto-immutability’. Some of the novel findings that will be covered include modifications to the interaction of hydromagnetic waves, a surprisingly low but highly intermittent volume filling fraction of turbulence-driven microinstabilities, and inertial-range suppression of turbulent perturbations to the magnetic-field strength. The application of these results to black hole accretion flows and the ICM will be discussed, with special attention given to observations of suppressed viscosity in ICM turbulence.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SHpzaNwpfoqEPVPDKAqr2r https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CCaBmBfMhvc9fp3NmWvGi1 https://cassyni.com/events/CCaBmBfMhvc9fp3NmWvGi1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/M729bCep4W1nk8vXj7Qkni https://cassyni.com/events/CCaBmBfMhvc9fp3NmWvGi1?videoPreview=1 Propagating zonal flows and turbulence saturation in magnetised fusion plasmasnohttps://cassyni.com/events/CCaBmBfMhvc9fp3NmWvGi1?videoPreview=12024-11-14T16:00:00+00:002704.04Journal of Plasma PhysicsToroidal fusion devices are plagued by drift-wave turbulence causing large heat fluxes and limiting the confinement time. It is therefore crucial to understand the mechanisms for turbulence saturation, which typically involve the interplay between drift waves and zonal flows shearing apart turbulent eddies. Toroidal geometry has long been known to affect the linear zonal flow physics, weakening stationary zonal flows and introducing the rapidly oscillating geodesic acoustic modes. In this talk, I will demonstrate that the toroidicity also plays a pivotal role for the nonlinear zonal flow dynamics, giving rise to the toroidal secondary, a new mode of radially propagating zonal flows. The theory and physical mechanism of the toroidal secondary will be presented and validated using gyrokinetic simulations. Furthermore, the toroidal secondary will be shown to set the saturation level of ion-temperature-gradient turbulence. By combining the new zonal flow physics with the critical balance conjecture, scaling laws are derived for the turbulent heat flux, the eddy scale lengths, and the zonal flow amplitude, which are in agreement both with turbulence simulations and with past experimental observations.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/M729bCep4W1nk8vXj7Qkni https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/NaDVrAmGKuAJLo2v5Boc29 https://cassyni.com/events/NaDVrAmGKuAJLo2v5Boc29/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/M1qfAZT4BULnpupzjAhZ2N https://cassyni.com/events/NaDVrAmGKuAJLo2v5Boc29?videoPreview=1 Inertial range of magnetorotational turbulencenohttps://cassyni.com/events/NaDVrAmGKuAJLo2v5Boc29?videoPreview=12023-08-10T15:00:00+00:002686.84Journal of Plasma PhysicsAccretion of matter onto a compact object is triggered by turbulence driven by magnetorotational instability (MRI). While there have been numerous theoretical and computational studies on MRI turbulence in the past few decades, the inertial range of MRI turbulence remains poorly understood. For instance, both the magnetic and kinetic energy spectra deviate significantly from those predicted by theories of MHD turbulence and those observed in simulations of externally driven MHD turbulence. This discrepancy arises due to the fact that the energy injection via MRI happens broadly in a Fourier space, posing challenges for numerically resolving the inertial range. In this colloquium, I will present the numerically resolved inertial range of MRI turbulence using Rotational Reduced MHD (RRMHD) model. This model assumes the presence of a near-azimuthal mean magnetic field and considers small amplitude turbulent fluctuations elongated along the mean magnetic field. By making these assumptions, RRMHD allows us to reach the inertial range with minimal computational resources. Our findings include: (1) both magnetic and kinetic energy exhibit -3/2 spectra, (2) Alfvenic fluctuations and slow-mode-like compressive fluctuations are decoupled at small scales, and (3) compressive fluctuations are approximately twice as strong as Alfvenic fluctuations. Furthermore, we will show our ultra-high resolution simulation of MRI turbulence using standard MHD and demonstrate that the small-scale spectra closely resemble those of RRMHD, thereby validating the RRMHD approach.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/M1qfAZT4BULnpupzjAhZ2N https://cassyni.com/events/P4s6trQnmMiMLZZofd6QHT/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Q4umsJXxhFLRTHTRhSPeLW https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/HdjTPLJ1wKdGwhKa4i6cJ1 https://cassyni.com/events/HdjTPLJ1wKdGwhKa4i6cJ1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Jdn8MnRBsDFM4RDC6XPrM4 https://cassyni.com/events/HdjTPLJ1wKdGwhKa4i6cJ1?videoPreview=1 Particle acceleration in turbulent plasmas: colourizing the Fermi picturenohttps://cassyni.com/events/HdjTPLJ1wKdGwhKa4i6cJ1?videoPreview=12022-07-21T15:00:00+00:002680.84Journal of Plasma PhysicsParticle acceleration in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence represents a fundamental dissipation process in a wide variety of astrophysical sources. This seminar discusses a generalization of the original Fermi scenario of point-like scatterings off discrete, moving structures to a turbulent MHD flow. The energization rate of a particle is first connected to the spatio-temporal gradients of the velocity of magnetic field lines; this notably implies that the intermittent nature of those gradients shapes the acceleration physics. This non-resonant Fermi process is then shown to account for the bulk of particle energization observed in numerical simulations (particle-in-cell and MHD) of relativistic, strong turbulence. Finally, I introduce a transport equation to describe the evolution of the distribution function in momentum space, paying proper account to the intermittent statistics of the accelerating structures. This transport model can reproduce the time evolution of particle energy distributions that are collected by particle tracking in the forced MHD turbulence of the Johns Hopkins University database.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Jdn8MnRBsDFM4RDC6XPrM4 https://cassyni.com/events/VywZYRU8umU8qNZP34fLS9/abstract https://cassyni.com/events/YTBamqhm74EdCK2wakZyA5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Fnk45vnAurt7ZC5sHbLuMp https://cassyni.com/events/R3TX5aztXBw7SGr32axLi1/abstract https://cassyni.com/events/TWhYK1EWiUhboDKbaGryRw/abstract https://cassyni.com/events/8FQyWM13bd6j2dH6eyGfjj/abstract https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CgBkaaF6F2tMu1UiyB78JR https://cassyni.com/events/CgBkaaF6F2tMu1UiyB78JR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3Lo1xFYBJ7qHJFGJn6ZFin https://cassyni.com/events/CgBkaaF6F2tMu1UiyB78JR?videoPreview=1 Clinical Experience with Combined Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy and Oral Sirolimus for the Treatment of Klippel-Trenaunay Syndromenohttps://cassyni.com/events/CgBkaaF6F2tMu1UiyB78JR?videoPreview=12025-10-15T09:44:01+00:00717.36Society for Pediatric Interventional Radiology## Introduction To investigate the synergistic efficacy and safety profile of combining minimally invasive interventional procedures with oral sirolimus in patients with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS), a rare congenital vascular disorder characterized by complex malformations. ## Materials and Methods In this single-center retrospective study, 16 KTS patients (median age: 3 years; 48% female) received multimodal therapy between 2010 and 2024. Interventional approaches included ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (29%), endovascular laser ablation (52%), and angioembolization (19%), followed by oral sirolimus administration. Primary outcomes were symptom improvement (visual analog scale VAS for pain, limb circumference reduction) and radiologic response (MRI-based volumetric analysis). Secondary outcomes included drug toxicity and procedure-related complications. ## Results At median follow-up of 48months, significant clinical improvement was observed: Mean VAS pain scores decreased from 8± 2 to 2 ±1,(p<0.01). Target limb volume reduced by 58% (± 4SD) in 82% of patients. MRI-confirmed malformation volume regression ≥50% in 76% cases. Adverse events included transient hyperlipidemia (12%), mild mucositis (6%), and post-procedural ecchymosis (4%). No grade ≥3 toxicity or thrombotic events occurred. ## Discussion This combined modality therapy demonstrates promising clinical utility for KTS management, with interventional techniques providing immediate symptom relief and sirolimus potentially modulating long-term disease progression. The acceptable safety profile supports further randomized trials to establish optimized protocols.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3Lo1xFYBJ7qHJFGJn6ZFin https://cassyni.com/events/UyL65TxS6tpjucP9wL2ToK/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/R9oDYR1Tm3QhtVsCqtKa22 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/U19nZHGqLQmf8P5xxmyU4d https://cassyni.com/events/U19nZHGqLQmf8P5xxmyU4d/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/P2SDsmJ7A5hmoNDnz4vNUv https://cassyni.com/events/U19nZHGqLQmf8P5xxmyU4d?videoPreview=1 12 Labours Seminar Series (Exemplar Project 2): Personalised rehabilitation of upper limb disordersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/U19nZHGqLQmf8P5xxmyU4d?videoPreview=12022-09-07T00:00:00+00:002958.6Auckland Bioengineering InstituteMovement disorders that affect the upper limb are common, and place a large burden on society. Stroke and brachial plexus injuries, for example, result in partial limb paralysis and lifelong deficits in function [1]. Rotator cuff injuries are also common in our young athletes, with long-term complications such as osteoarthritis [2]. Clinicians currently follow an ‘evidence-based’ approach, that determines the efficacy of a treatment strategy on a patient cohort, without acknowledging that individuals within that cohort respond differently to each intervention [3]. In exemplar project 2 (EP2), we propose a personalised approach to quantitatively assess, treat, and monitor upper limb disorders, using computational models [4], wearable sensors [5], and robotic devices. This talk focuses on the computational modelling aspects in EP2. Specifically; musculoskeletal model generation, statistical shape modelling [6], multi-scale neuromuscular modelling including the role motor units play in predicting joint level movements [7, 8]. Biomechanical simulations are vital to the interpretation of movement patterns and to inform data-driven machine learning classification in order to assist clinical decision-making and personalised treatment plans.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/P2SDsmJ7A5hmoNDnz4vNUv https://cassyni.com/events/M5jrYA2rMfu9sY9jCgXu7K/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/75puB1drzdDBWcCHYwGUQ6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/3o3hvEPUzeWzXSdEjEuoZP https://cassyni.com/events/3o3hvEPUzeWzXSdEjEuoZP/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Jh4gAwzM4aAcBKBwqc2kjx https://cassyni.com/events/3o3hvEPUzeWzXSdEjEuoZP?videoPreview=1 Holographic metasurfaces for the new generation of biomedical ultrasound applicationsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/3o3hvEPUzeWzXSdEjEuoZP?videoPreview=12022-12-13T14:00:00+00:003986.76MetaMATOptical holograms can modulate light wavefronts to generate visible images. In the same way, acoustic images can also be synthesized by holograms, shaping the areas where mechanical waves present a high amplitude, and areas where the media is at rest. In this work, we present the recent advances of acoustic holograms and structured media to engineer the acoustic wavefront to focus ultrasound beams for biomedical applications. We show how we can engineer ultrasonic wavefronts by using acoustic metasurfaces. This results in complex holographic lenses, or acoustic holograms, that can shape therapeutical acoustic images for the non-invasive treatment of neurological disorders, to produce cavitation patterns for localized drug delivery, and uniform thermal patterns of arbitrary shape for targeted hyperthermia. In this way, acoustic holograms emerge as a disruptive and low-cost approach for biomedical ultrasound applications in neurology, including blood-brain barrier opening for localized drug-delivery or neuromodulation using low-cost systems. In addition, increasing the temperature using low-cost and MRI-compatible holographic transducers might be of great interest for many biomedical applications, such as ultrasound hyperthermia, physiotherapy, or high intensity focused ultrasound, where the control of specific thermal patterns is needed.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Jh4gAwzM4aAcBKBwqc2kjx https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/PYysmaGUYxfeEUdHkNSXqF https://cassyni.com/events/PYysmaGUYxfeEUdHkNSXqF/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FmZh9qMQg4cd33YTFnmhaN https://cassyni.com/events/PYysmaGUYxfeEUdHkNSXqF?videoPreview=1 Tailoring nanochannels of advanced membranes for energy-efficient separationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/PYysmaGUYxfeEUdHkNSXqF?videoPreview=12022-10-25T08:00:00+00:003434.24ElsevierDue to the unique features, small footprint, easy maintenance and high scalability, membrane technologies have seen exponential growth in industry applications. However, there are always room for improvement on existing applications and exploring new applications, by improving the selectivity, permeability, and durability, the three key criteria of high-performance membranes. While there have been lots of effects on stretching the properties of conventional polymers, more research efforts have been made on advanced materials (such as porous materials and nanomaterials), which have great tuneability of physicochemical properties to tailor the nanochannels in membranes. This talk will focus on recent progress of innovative membranes using advanced materials, 2D materials and porous MOF materials, for water-ion and ion-ion separation. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FmZh9qMQg4cd33YTFnmhaN https://cassyni.com/events/XTPAd98kyeTJYX9GWMRERT/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/XTPAd98kyeTJYX9GWMRERT https://cassyni.com/events/XTPAd98kyeTJYX9GWMRERT/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UEUS42f6FtoQPmToYdfsee https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/L6SeSnjoUko1CnKj6i4aJR https://cassyni.com/events/L6SeSnjoUko1CnKj6i4aJR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9nafyqUMNetmmsMTY3FbfC https://cassyni.com/events/L6SeSnjoUko1CnKj6i4aJR?videoPreview=1 Scale Resolved Simulations of an Inverted Multi-Element Wing in Ground Effectnohttps://cassyni.com/events/L6SeSnjoUko1CnKj6i4aJR?videoPreview=12022-09-15T10:00:00+00:001563.4NEKTAR++Presented is a computational study of a spanwise homogeneous inverted multi-element wing in ground effect. At a ride height of 0.36h/c, a slice of a F1 front wing has been taken and extruded 0.16c in the z direction. The study has examined the flow physics and salient flow features using iLES through a Spectral/hp Element type discretization. Force coefficients of -8.33 and 0.17 have been found for lift and drag, respectively. Through examination of the lift and surface pressure fluctuation through techniques such as Power Spectral Density and Cross Spectral Phase, we present relationships between key modes on all aerofoils at St=40,60,140,200. An in-phase relationship can be seen at St=40 whilst a distinct out-of-phase relationship can be seen at higher Strouhal Number. Transition mechanisms on the suction surfaces of all flaps have been characterized with the first two elements transitioning via Laminar Separation Bubble, with the third transitioning via a bypass mechanism. This study is presented as to create a benchmark for the testing and review of current and new models and processes as applied to motorsports and Formula 1 aerodynamics.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9nafyqUMNetmmsMTY3FbfC https://cassyni.com/events/WU4LR9KphNRRjHcs7p1Tyw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7aUWDhHPS5mHBbVQ4USzwg https://cassyni.com/events/WxhwTpyM8pyUj49kiFJGFF/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/WxhwTpyM8pyUj49kiFJGFF https://cassyni.com/events/WxhwTpyM8pyUj49kiFJGFF/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7i5tQubrveDCdmF3xeyaA2 https://cassyni.com/events/WxhwTpyM8pyUj49kiFJGFF?videoPreview=1 Brain Blood Flow Immediately after a Head Impact in Rugby Players: Importance of Sexnohttps://cassyni.com/events/WxhwTpyM8pyUj49kiFJGFF?videoPreview=12022-10-25T03:00:00+00:002863.44The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteSports-related concussions have become a major health concern. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that there are 1.6-3.8 million concussions occurring annually. While head injury commonly occurs in contact and collision sports, it has been challenging to establish a clear understanding of the mechanisms underlying such an injury. Recent data demonstrates that even mild head injuries can produce cognitive impairments that persist months and years post trauma without any associated imaging abnormalities on CT or MRI. Although ~25% of the 800,000 mild head injury cases reported each year demonstrate persistent cognitive deficits, we do not currently have an effective diagnostic tool to differentiate these patients with silent brain injury from those that will fully recover. In addition, female players have higher rates of concussion and longer recovery periods, but there is a lack of data on sex differences in male and female players with concussions. This talk will examine changes in brain blood flow that occur immediately after a head injury by measuring internal carotid artery blood flow on the field in rugby players. We will examine how brain blood flow response differs in male and female rugby players and how it is critical to consider sex in our understanding of the pathophysiology of concussion. The goal of this work is to develop a physiological biomarker that may be used to diagnose concussion on the field that will result in persistent problems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7i5tQubrveDCdmF3xeyaA2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Koggp9roMkWAW9gBZ1AqT https://cassyni.com/events/Koggp9roMkWAW9gBZ1AqT/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UP9G6C3u63bD77DVRuaWrA https://cassyni.com/events/Koggp9roMkWAW9gBZ1AqT?videoPreview=1 The dynamics of stratified horizontal shear flows at low Péclet numbernohttps://cassyni.com/events/Koggp9roMkWAW9gBZ1AqT?videoPreview=12021-06-04T15:00:00+00:001476.52Journal of Fluid MechanicsStratified flows are ubiquitous; examples include atmospheres and oceans in geophysics and stellar interiors in astrophysics. The interaction of a stable stratification with a background velocity distribution can develop into stratified turbulence, key to transport processes in many systems. Geophysical flows, in which the Prandtl number Pr ∼ O(1), are often strongly stratified, nevertheless, turbulence still occurs. Density layering is key to understanding the properties of this ‘layered anisotropic stratified turbulence’ (LAST) regime that is characterised by anisotropic length scales and velocity fields. Conversely, Pr ≪ 1 for astrophysical flows, inhibiting the formation of density layers. This suggests that LAST dynamics cannot occur, raising the question of whether analogous or fundamentally different regimes exist in the limit of strong thermal diffusion. This study addresses this question for the case of a vertically stratified, horizontally-forced Kolmogorov flow using a combination of linear stability theory and direct numerical simulations. Four distinct dynamical regimes emerge, depending upon the strength of the background stratification. By considering dominant balances in the governing equations, we derive scaling laws which explain the empirical observations.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UP9G6C3u63bD77DVRuaWrA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/G9Fp5KZby6MrR7s3hbUXhX https://cassyni.com/events/G9Fp5KZby6MrR7s3hbUXhX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/vZNtLLFHrJCiWp6MXbaj8 https://cassyni.com/events/G9Fp5KZby6MrR7s3hbUXhX?videoPreview=1 Topological corner modes in the two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model and their robustness against disordernohttps://cassyni.com/events/G9Fp5KZby6MrR7s3hbUXhX?videoPreview=12022-07-05T09:40:00+00:001400.04ETOPIMThis work studies a two-dimensional extension of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model on a square lattice. This model has been shown to be a higher order topological insulator, displaying not only edge modes but also corner modes. This work analyzes their main properties, and in particular, their robustness to the presence of disorder. Precise conditions for the existence of zero energy corner modes in the presence of disorder is obtained. Moreover, it is shown how this model can be exactly realised in acoustics using networks of waveguides.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/vZNtLLFHrJCiWp6MXbaj8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Ai8AZoSq94Gn2Fcp6gUji5 https://cassyni.com/events/Ai8AZoSq94Gn2Fcp6gUji5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HUPqSePffCH2J1fWqtQQBQ https://cassyni.com/events/Ai8AZoSq94Gn2Fcp6gUji5?videoPreview=1 Improved AI-based tool for radar image denoisingnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Ai8AZoSq94Gn2Fcp6gUji5?videoPreview=12022-07-07T09:10:00+00:001289.04ETOPIMA lot of applications are possible with AI: classification, to sort a lot of images in many different categories, denoising, to improve the quality of a signal or an image, and “generative”, to create a fake image which seems to be very real. Here, I propose to use an autoencoder to denoise radar images. In order to achieve this, I first propose to create an adequate dataset of 60,000 images to train the autoencoder.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HUPqSePffCH2J1fWqtQQBQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BCmmcV6MaWpq229hh7mXyP https://cassyni.com/events/BCmmcV6MaWpq229hh7mXyP/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/238hkHRWwdz1iMxUqwNfwc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/MaR5hUCGCVNyh19EznesHX https://cassyni.com/events/MaR5hUCGCVNyh19EznesHX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3mJiRM2uKfdM4wUcks8jwc https://cassyni.com/events/MaR5hUCGCVNyh19EznesHX?videoPreview=1 Unexpected hubness: a proof-of-concept study of the human connectome using pagerank centrality and implications for intracerebral neurosurgerynohttps://cassyni.com/events/MaR5hUCGCVNyh19EznesHX?videoPreview=12022-10-17T20:00:00+00:001716.8Journal of Neuro-OncologyNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3mJiRM2uKfdM4wUcks8jwc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/J7srNgfb8HWLfJqgM8Gukh https://cassyni.com/events/J7srNgfb8HWLfJqgM8Gukh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJo2TYxpU222uCS2uQhLcN https://cassyni.com/events/J7srNgfb8HWLfJqgM8Gukh?videoPreview=1 Machine Learning for Fluid Mechanicsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/J7srNgfb8HWLfJqgM8Gukh?videoPreview=12020-06-05T15:00:00+00:005088.84Journal of Fluid MechanicsRecent advances in machine learning and an ever increasing availability of data offer new perspectives (and hope) for solving long standing fluid mechanics problems. Despite early connections dating back to Kolmogorov, the link between Fluid Mechanics and Machine Learning (ML) has not been fully explored. The situation is rapidly changing with ML algorithms entering in numerous efforts for modeling, optimising, and controlling fluid flows. In this talk I will present works from our group on the interface of Fluid Mechanics and ML ranging from low order models for turbulent flows to deep reinforcement learning algorithms and Bayesian experimental design for collective swimming. I hope to demonstrate that ML has the potential to augment, and possibly even transform, current lines of fluid mechanics research.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJo2TYxpU222uCS2uQhLcN https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Lb7sc6uDKaGq2FKEtpBYUd https://cassyni.com/events/Lb7sc6uDKaGq2FKEtpBYUd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4EHdD9ShSFfMEDStQ2ia4v https://cassyni.com/events/Lb7sc6uDKaGq2FKEtpBYUd?videoPreview=1 The legacy of Carleman's doctoral dissertationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Lb7sc6uDKaGq2FKEtpBYUd?videoPreview=12022-05-06T18:00:00+00:003300.04Acta Scientiarum MathematicarumCarleman's name is linked to primary results and techniques of XX-th century mathematical analysis. Less known is his doctoral dissertation 'On the Neumann-Poincare problem on a domain with corners' defended when he was 24 years old. This highly original work, barely cited or read in detail, marks a notable qualitative leap in spectral analysis. Motivated by the ever challenging Dirichlet problem on non-smooth boundaries, Carleman interlaces the layer potentials approach, advocated by Carl Neumann and greatly advanced by Hilbert, with a variational principle formulated by Poincare. The result is a refined spectral analysis of a concrete problem, a true tour de force synthesizing in surprising unity the circulating mathematical techniques of the turn of the century. Many ingredients in Carleman's dissertation would later shape his renown discoveries. The lecture will offer an overview of Carleman's thesis and the evolution of his groundbreaking methods. If time allows, I will comment, with some brief examples, on the current explosion of interest in the applied facets of spectral analysis of the same integral operator, the one which intrigued Carelman as well as generations of scientists before and after him.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4EHdD9ShSFfMEDStQ2ia4v https://cassyni.com/events/TzqwJMc5uSafWpqhrh3Gtd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CLC5kNvQFBzwFoYu5UrJbp https://cassyni.com/events/TzqwJMc5uSafWpqhrh3Gtd?videoPreview=1 Quantum Algorithms for Eigenvalue Problemsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/TzqwJMc5uSafWpqhrh3Gtd?videoPreview=12023-03-13T16:00:00+00:004012.8Journal of Computational PhysicsThe problem of finding the smallest eigenvalue of a Hermitian matrix (also called the ground state energy) has wide applications in quantum physics. In this talk, I will first briefly introduce the mathematical setup of quantum algorithms, and discuss how to use textbook quantum algorithms to tackle this problem. I will then introduce a new quantum algorithm that can significantly and provably reduce the circuit depth for solving this problem (the reduction can be around two orders of magnitude). This algorithm reduces the requirement on the maximal coherent time for the quantum computer, and can therefore be suitable for early fault-tolerant quantum devices. No prior knowledge on quantum algorithms is necessary for understanding most parts of the talk. (Joint work with Zhiyan Ding). https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CLC5kNvQFBzwFoYu5UrJbp https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6kxxJxnX2kmMP4rXz8q8jo https://cassyni.com/events/6kxxJxnX2kmMP4rXz8q8jo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LEPyxvaTcyozJWQMiudTkz https://cassyni.com/events/6kxxJxnX2kmMP4rXz8q8jo?videoPreview=1 Microscopic theory of ferromagnetism in rare-earth nitridesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/6kxxJxnX2kmMP4rXz8q8jo?videoPreview=12023-01-19T01:00:00+00:003862.16School of Chemical and Physical SciencesIn insulating rare-earth compounds, unquenched orbital momentum and weak crystal-field (CF) splitting of the atomic J multiplet at rare-earth ions result in a highly ranked (multipolar) exchange interaction between them and a complex low-temperature magnetic order not fully uncovered by experiment. Explicitly correlated ab initio methods proved to be highly efficient for an accurate description of CF multiplets and magnetism of individual rare-earth ions in such materials. Here we extend this ab initio methodology and develop a first-principles microscopic theory of multipolar exchange interaction between J multiplets in f-metal compounds [1]. The key point of the approach is a complete account of Goodenough's exchange mechanism along with traditional Anderson’s superexchange and other contributions, the former being dominant in many rare-earth materials. Application of this methodology to the description of the ground-state order in the neodymium nitride (NdN) with rocksalt structure reveals the multipolar nature of its ferromagnetic order. We found that the primary and secondary order parameters contain non-negligible J-tensorial contributions up to the ninth order. The calculated spin-wave dispersion and magnetic and thermodynamic properties show that they cannot be simulated quantitatively by confining to the ground CF multiplet on the lanthanide sites. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LEPyxvaTcyozJWQMiudTkz https://cassyni.com/events/pUur8KGeBEKyy9Byf891f/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/pUur8KGeBEKyy9Byf891f https://cassyni.com/events/pUur8KGeBEKyy9Byf891f/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6Z4gyxGrxKHR8zdV4FJxRC https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EAh21DVPcd5BseNzx1gs9o https://cassyni.com/events/EAh21DVPcd5BseNzx1gs9o/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Yaxwdw4YH6rVXXU6Jxg3GA https://cassyni.com/events/EAh21DVPcd5BseNzx1gs9o?videoPreview=1 Data science for novel molecular materials: Applications to supramolecular chemistry and stem cell sciencenohttps://cassyni.com/events/EAh21DVPcd5BseNzx1gs9o?videoPreview=12023-02-15T23:15:00+00:003113.92The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and NanotechnologyOver the last several years, machine learning and other data science techniques have made a profound impact on computational chemistry. On the one hand, data science techniques have significantly broadened the scope of molecular simulation , allowing us to study more complex materials over longer time scales. On the other, these techniques have allowed us to extract obscure structure function correlations from molecule databases, which can subsequently be used to design new functional materials. In this presentation, I will illustrate these points by introducing two topics from our group's research. The first topic concerns the formation of supramolecular clusters via on surface molecular self assembly. By utilizing machine learned intermolecular potentials, we have developed new methodology for simulating the molecular self assembly process and predicting what kinds of supra molecular clusters will form. This simulation enables one to screen different types of molecules for the purposes of designing new supramolecular materials with novel functionality. The second topic concerns the generation of cardiac tissue from human stem cells. We have developed a machine learned model which can predict whether a particular organic compound will induce cardiac differentiation when applied to a stem cell, on the basis of molecule shape and hydrophilicity information extracted from a small chemical database. This talk is intended for general audiences who wish to know something about how data science can be applied in chemistry.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Yaxwdw4YH6rVXXU6Jxg3GA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CfsuKeaLp4hNHTETs6Aw8R https://cassyni.com/events/CfsuKeaLp4hNHTETs6Aw8R/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7edk14o5XYeEEiNfVjTyjC https://cassyni.com/events/CfsuKeaLp4hNHTETs6Aw8R?videoPreview=1 Community-Engaged Medical Education That Works: Practical Takeaways from Four Institutionsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/CfsuKeaLp4hNHTETs6Aw8R?videoPreview=12026-03-26T13:00:00+00:003205.64AAMCCommunity-engaged medical education (CEME) is essential for preparing future physicians to authentically partner with communities to address health inequities. Despite its growing adoption in medical education, many schools still struggle with how to build, assess, or scale comprehensive CEME. In this webinar, educators from four institutions will share their experiences, demonstrating that CEME is not a one-size-fits-all model. This session is designed for curriculum leaders, faculty educators, and administrators seeking practical approaches to strengthening or expanding CEME within their own institutional contexts. Speakers will share practical frameworks, examples, and adaptable tools for developing and evaluating community-engaged curricula across the medical education continuum. Speakers will explore real-world models of partnership development, learner assessment, and program benchmarking that can be applied whether an institution is building from scratch or refining an established program. Participants will gain insights into common challenges and facilitators of comprehensive CEME and will leave with concrete strategies to strengthen community engagement, meet accreditation expectations, and enhance learner outcomes at their own institutions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7edk14o5XYeEEiNfVjTyjC https://cassyni.com/events/7GLkL1q5wbQJBFVs1LXRRF/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7GLkL1q5wbQJBFVs1LXRRF https://cassyni.com/events/7GLkL1q5wbQJBFVs1LXRRF/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QZx7FSqW4hrCyQ3f1J1MAv https://cassyni.com/events/7GLkL1q5wbQJBFVs1LXRRF?videoPreview=1 From Process Chemistry to Methodology Development in Metal-Mediated Chemistry and Catalysisnohttps://cassyni.com/events/7GLkL1q5wbQJBFVs1LXRRF?videoPreview=12024-10-14T12:00:00+00:007148.88Thieme GroupMetal-mediated synthesis and catalysis are central to advancing synthetic methodology and accelerating drug discovery through the design of catalytic systems and functionalized reagents. A primary focus involves homologation chemistry, where carbon-1 insertion strategies—such as carbenoid-mediated rearrangements—enable the precise incorporation of methylene units into complex molecular scaffolds. By exploiting carbenoids generated via in-situ halogen-lithium exchange from precursors like fluoroiodomethane and chloromethyllithium, efficient routes are established for fluorinated epoxides, aziridines, and unsaturated aldehydes. Isotopic labeling confirms that tandem coordination and rearrangement sequences, including Meinwald rearrangements, dictate chemo-control and stereoselectivity. Complementary nickel- and iron-catalyzed protocols achieve carbon–sulfur bond formation, using thioesters as reactive electrophiles that couple with organomanganese reagents. Furthermore, room-temperature nickel-catalyzed C–S couplings of aryl chlorides and triflates with aliphatic thiols provide mild access to functionalized thioethers. In parallel, industrial applications emphasize discovery process chemistry to accelerate structure-activity and structure-property relationship interrogation. Intersectoral collaborations leverage bioisosteric replacements, such as bicyclopentanes that improve aqueous solubility while maintaining clearance and permeability, along with diversifiable coupling partners and late-stage functionalization to expand chemical space. These combined methodological advances and catalytic innovations bridge academic discovery and scalable industrial synthesis.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QZx7FSqW4hrCyQ3f1J1MAv https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5HmxFuksb87de5bfDbM66h https://cassyni.com/events/5HmxFuksb87de5bfDbM66h/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QonbBeHuVJsSf2DE7Uc5ki https://cassyni.com/events/5HmxFuksb87de5bfDbM66h?videoPreview=1 Functional contribution of the intestinal microbiome in autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Rett syndrome: a systematic review of pediatric and adult studiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/5HmxFuksb87de5bfDbM66h?videoPreview=12024-11-26T08:00:00+00:003095.56Frontiers in Neuroscience**Introduction:** Critical phases of neurodevelopment and gut microbiota diversification occur in early life and both processes are impacted by genetic and environmental factors. Recent studies have shown the presence of gut microbiota alterations in neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we performed a systematic review of alterations of the intestinal microbiota composition and function in pediatric and adult patients affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Rett syndrome (RETT). **Methods:** We searched selected keywords in the online databases of PubMed, Cochrane, and OVID (January 1980 to December 2021) with secondary review of references of eligible articles. Two reviewers independently performed critical appraisals on the included articles using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program for each study design. **Results:** Our systematic review identified 18, 7, and 3 original articles describing intestinal microbiota profiles in ASD, ADHD, and RETT, respectively. Decreased Firmicutes and increased Bacteroidetes were observed in the gut microbiota of individuals affected by ASD and ADHD. Proinflammatory cytokines, short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitter levels were altered in ASD and RETT. Constipation and visceral pain were related to changes in the gut microbiota in patients affected by ASD and RETT. Hyperactivity and impulsivity were negatively correlated with Faecalibacterium (phylum Firmicutes) and positively correlated with Bacteroides sp. (phylum Bacteroidetes) in ADHD subjects. Five studies explored microbiota-or diet-targeted interventions in ASD and ADHD. Probiotic treatments with Lactobacillus sp. and fecal microbiota transplantation from healthy donors reduced constipation and ameliorated ASD symptoms in affected children. Perinatal administration of Lactobacillus sp. prevented the onset of Asperger and ADHD symptoms in adolescence. Micronutrient supplementation improved disease symptomatology in ADHD without causing significant changes in microbiota communities’ composition. **Discussion:** Several discrepancies were found among the included studies, primarily due to sample size, variations in dietary practices, and a high prevalence of functional gastrointestinal symptoms. Further studies employing longitudinal study designs, larger sample sizes and multi-omics technologies are warranted to identify the functional contribution of the intestinal microbiota in developmental trajectories of the human brain and neurobehavior.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QonbBeHuVJsSf2DE7Uc5ki https://cassyni.com/events/QZ69BCWE7LdxVpmDvrXTjs/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/QZ69BCWE7LdxVpmDvrXTjs https://cassyni.com/events/QZ69BCWE7LdxVpmDvrXTjs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Y9z84hRTa2WKJmdAka9Wzr https://cassyni.com/events/QZ69BCWE7LdxVpmDvrXTjs?videoPreview=1 Neural Architecture Search in the Service of Medical AI, The world of artificial intelligence and foundation models in pharmaceutical drug developmentnohttps://cassyni.com/events/QZ69BCWE7LdxVpmDvrXTjs?videoPreview=12024-11-20T16:00:00+00:003523.8NoneIn this seminar, we'll present a comprehensive survey of Medical Neural Architecture Search (MedNAS), a burgeoning field at the confluence of deep learning and medical imaging. With the increasing prevalence of FDA-approved medical deep learning models, MedNAS emerges as a key area in leveraging computational innovations for healthcare advancements. Our work examines the paradigm shift introduced by Neural Architecture Search (NAS), which automates neural network design, replacing traditional, manual designs. We explore the unique search spaces tailored for medical tasks on different types of data from images to EEG, the methodologies of MedNAS, and their impact on medical applications. The talk will briefly introduce the idea of artificial intelligence for healthcare and describe the emerging role of AI algorithms in the drug development process, touching upon the different stages of the development pipeline in pharmaceutical settings with the scope for algorithmic automation therein, along with the challenges in deployment of such algorithms and their mitigation. Additionally, we will discuss the invigoration of a culture of innovation in AI-aided drug development and healthcare in Africa, touching upon recent trends at the intersection of fundamental research, application opportunities, capacity creation and commercial translation in the continent.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Y9z84hRTa2WKJmdAka9Wzr https://cassyni.com/events/XxpCsTD6hCwnzQHgtjPC9s/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/XxpCsTD6hCwnzQHgtjPC9s https://cassyni.com/events/XxpCsTD6hCwnzQHgtjPC9s/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PTXQZ4aeZ7qinZbULrjajx https://cassyni.com/events/XxpCsTD6hCwnzQHgtjPC9s?videoPreview=1 Reconstructing the invention of the wheelnohttps://cassyni.com/events/XxpCsTD6hCwnzQHgtjPC9s?videoPreview=12025-02-04T16:00:00+00:003236.08Royal Society PublishingHistorians and anthropologists have debated the invention of the wheel for centuries, yet there remains no scholarly consensus on where, how and by whom the wheel was originally invented. Using state-of-the-art computational methods from structural mechanics and engineering design, along with some novel mathematical formulations created specifically for this study, we present a new theory for how the wheel was invented, gaining new insight into an unresolved question. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/PTXQZ4aeZ7qinZbULrjajx https://cassyni.com/events/SXgZMw6KsAribY3THpPQAR/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SXgZMw6KsAribY3THpPQAR https://cassyni.com/events/SXgZMw6KsAribY3THpPQAR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MoFzRmX9mTmFmZZSE2FH8i https://cassyni.com/events/SXgZMw6KsAribY3THpPQAR?videoPreview=1 The Contribution of Radiological Protection to Sustainable Developmentnohttps://cassyni.com/events/SXgZMw6KsAribY3THpPQAR?videoPreview=12025-01-31T14:00:00+00:004637.04Springer Nature Sustainable Development Goals ProgrammeThe Editors in Chief of the journal [Radiation and Environmental Biophysics](https://link.springer.com/journal/411) welcome you to this webinar to discuss radiological protection in the context of Sustainable Development Goals. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session. We invite you to read related content in the collection on [Radiation Research and the UN Sustainable Development Goals](https://link.springer.com/collections/fgcbjejjfa). The International Commission on Radiological Protection is an independent Registered Charity, established to advance the science of radiological protection for the public benefit, in particular by providing recommendations and guidance on all aspects of protection against ionising radiation to be used world-wide. The Main Commission is the governing body, setting policy and giving general direction. Recently, the Main Commission has published in *Radiation and Environmental Biophysics* on the importance of radiological protection in contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, please see: [https://www.icrp.org/](https://www.icrp.org/).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MoFzRmX9mTmFmZZSE2FH8i https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/GefED184HHva2zxzvTzzHs https://cassyni.com/events/GefED184HHva2zxzvTzzHs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KbuJdqmJ6ysMWUssX7tvxW https://cassyni.com/events/GefED184HHva2zxzvTzzHs?videoPreview=1 Wetting and swelling of elastic fibersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/GefED184HHva2zxzvTzzHs?videoPreview=12024-12-06T16:00:00+00:003376.0Journal of Fluid MechanicsFibrous materials are commonly used to absorb liquid, strengthen paper or filtrate droplets. The interactions between such slender objects and a liquid is key to understand the phenomena at play in these situations. This talk will investigate the swelling of model elastic fibers interacting with favorable solvents. We first discuss the absorption of one drop of solvent placed on an elastomer fiber and evaluate the time required for complete absorption of the drop and model the dynamics of absorption using a pseudo-diffusive model of swelling. We then examine experimentally and theoretically the effect of swelling on a stretched fiber and how it will impact the simultaneous absorption of two drops placed on the same fiber. If the drops are close enough together, we observe the appearance of fluid ejected from the fiber. We call this phenomenon “deswelling” and propose to predict this behavior using a poroelastic model. Finally, we study a simple textile model composed of two parallel fibers and study the imbibition of liquid between these two swellable objects. This is joint work with Pierre Van de Velde (d'Alembert and LadHyX), Julien Dervaux (Laboratoire MSC Paris) and Camille Duprat (LadHyX, Ecole Polytechnique Palaiseau).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KbuJdqmJ6ysMWUssX7tvxW https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9EwAWkRBhRd4Gxn6NJPMqo https://cassyni.com/events/9EwAWkRBhRd4Gxn6NJPMqo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bwc5MqzFE9oUFoSwSWbr9k https://cassyni.com/events/9EwAWkRBhRd4Gxn6NJPMqo?videoPreview=1 Predicting Recidivism: Value Judgments, Trade-offs, and Power Dynamics in Machine Learningnohttps://cassyni.com/events/9EwAWkRBhRd4Gxn6NJPMqo?videoPreview=12020-07-01T10:00:00+00:001332.04 School of Public PolicyJustin B. Biddle is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Philosophy Program at Georgia Tech and a Faculty Affiliate in the Center for Machine Learning and the Center for Ethics and Technology. His research interests are interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on fields such as philosophy of science, technology, and medicine, ethics of emerging technologies, and science and technology policy. His current work focuses on the ethics of artificial intelligence and the role of value judgments in the design and development of computing technologies.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bwc5MqzFE9oUFoSwSWbr9k https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/N5r7wnGbv3sU8tHfPAcq1w https://cassyni.com/events/N5r7wnGbv3sU8tHfPAcq1w/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CrMKhhqPj5ZnddAsjjEM9Q https://cassyni.com/events/N5r7wnGbv3sU8tHfPAcq1w?videoPreview=1 Spectral Approach in Medical System Design and Image Analysis -Surgical Illuminant Development and Rodent Skip Flap Analysis-nohttps://cassyni.com/events/N5r7wnGbv3sU8tHfPAcq1w?videoPreview=12024-12-04T03:00:00+00:003082.04The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteIn this lecture, two spectral-based research topics are presented. The first topic is the design and prototyping of a spectrally tunable LED light source for surgery, and the second is the image analysis of blood flow and blood components in a rodent skin flap to understand necrosis. First topic: In delicate operations or follow-up assessments, the appearance of organs and tissues is a crucial factor for surgeons and nurses to evaluate the hemodynamic state. In open surgery, the spectral characteristics of surgical illumination play a vital role in ensuring successful outcomes. In our first study, we designed an optimal surgical illuminant to enhance microvascular structures and implemented it using 14 types of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Through evaluation experiments conducted on rats, we confirmed the effectiveness of the illuminant. Additionally, we are developing a monitoring system that combines the spectrally tunable LED light source with a three-band color camera. Second topic: Hypoxia and a low red blood cell ratio in blood can cause tissue necrosis and dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of blood components and flow on tissue using a rat flap model, which involves a partially detached thick skin segment with preserved blood circulation. In this study, we controlled the oxygen saturation and blood flow in vivo and captured reflection images of the entire flap using a hyperspectral camera, a high-definition color camera, and an infrared camera. These images were analyzed multidimensionally to study the vascular structure, blood flow, and their changes over time. In the presentation, a portion of this image analysis will be demonstrated.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CrMKhhqPj5ZnddAsjjEM9Q https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/H9N5UwoMXULSjnaKNguqHo https://cassyni.com/events/H9N5UwoMXULSjnaKNguqHo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KpHDxwXHr5LakGp7Ap7U2S https://cassyni.com/events/H9N5UwoMXULSjnaKNguqHo?videoPreview=1 Enabling sustainable crop protection with induced resistance in plantsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/H9N5UwoMXULSjnaKNguqHo?videoPreview=12024-12-05T15:00:00+00:005563.52Frontiers in ScienceExplore how induced resistance in plants can help reduce pesticide use, increase crop resilience, and boost crop quality. This event builds on a [Frontiers in Science](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/science/articles/10.3389/fsci.2024.1407410/full) lead article that outlines technologies to enhance plants' natural immune systems, as part of a sustainable strategy to protect crops against pests and pathogens. This approach reduces reliance on excessive use of pesticides and can help control emerging pests and diseases—with the co-benefit of improving food quality. You’ll hear from the article authors and other experts on how further research, stronger regulatory support, and economic incentives are key next steps for the widespread adoption of induced resistance technologies. You’ll also have the chance to pose questions during the audience Q&A. [Register here](https://events.frontiersin.org/enabling-sustainable-crop-protection/C)https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KpHDxwXHr5LakGp7Ap7U2S https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Kcc6iN2yim6w6j3svNpU1j https://cassyni.com/events/Kcc6iN2yim6w6j3svNpU1j/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SopN89dcAaRnVHVPyXPivA https://cassyni.com/events/Kcc6iN2yim6w6j3svNpU1j?videoPreview=1 Guard cell starch metabolism at the intersection of environmental stimuli and stomatal movementsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Kcc6iN2yim6w6j3svNpU1j?videoPreview=12024-10-23T13:00:00+00:001915.36The New Phytologist FoundationGuard cell starch metabolism plays a central role in the regulation of stomatal movements in response to light, elevated ambient CO2 and potentially other abiotic and biotic factors. In my talk, I will discuss how various guard cell signal transduction pathways converge to promote rearrangements in guard cell starch metabolism for efficient stomatal responses - an essential physiological process that sustains plant productivity and stress tolerance. I will argue that manipulation of guard cell starch dynamics may improve stomatal behaviour under changing environmental conditions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SopN89dcAaRnVHVPyXPivA https://cassyni.com/events/2Kux6SPcMjipRrHcN366k5/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2Kux6SPcMjipRrHcN366k5 https://cassyni.com/events/2Kux6SPcMjipRrHcN366k5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NAkCDHFo6ZBL2JXmcB8g3Q https://cassyni.com/events/2Kux6SPcMjipRrHcN366k5?videoPreview=1 Nature Water Talks: Water observing and monitoringnohttps://cassyni.com/events/2Kux6SPcMjipRrHcN366k5?videoPreview=12025-01-23T13:00:00+00:003554.36Springer Nature Sustainable Development Goals ProgrammeWater observing and monitoring, both ground-based and space-based, are essential for understanding the water cycle and managing water resources. In this webinar, Nature Water Senior Editor Yanhua Chen will talk to Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer (NASA) and Martin Briggs (USGS) about the challenges and opportunities using approaches such as satellite remote sensing and in-situ groundwater monitoring. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NAkCDHFo6ZBL2JXmcB8g3Q https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DCBF7UdA1ouHx87dyaKngu https://cassyni.com/events/DCBF7UdA1ouHx87dyaKngu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UxbmmUhjRLbYUoZbqSEn1t https://cassyni.com/events/DCBF7UdA1ouHx87dyaKngu?videoPreview=1 Radiation for high-risk asymptomatic bone metastases – an implementation science perspectivenohttps://cassyni.com/events/DCBF7UdA1ouHx87dyaKngu?videoPreview=12025-08-21T18:00:00+00:003566.0Center for Cancer TrainingExternal-beam radiation therapy (RT) is standard of care for pain relief in the treatment of bone metastases, but evidence is limited in the absence of symptoms. In a phase 2 randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of radiation to asymptomatic bone metastases in preventing skeletal-related events (SRE) among adult patients with widely metastatic solid tumor malignancies. A total of 78 patients with 122 high-risk bone metastases were enrolled at three institutions across an affiliated cancer network in the United States between May 8, 2018, and August 9, 2021. Among 73 patients evaluable for the primary end point, SRE occurred 1.6% of bone metastases in the radiation arm compared to 29% of bone metastases in the standard of care arm at one year (P < .001). The proportion of patients experiencing fracture, cord compression, or surgical intervention (but not including radiation for pain alone) was 13.8% versus 0%, respectively. Radiation also reduced hospitalizations, reduced subsequent pain, and prolonged overall survival, but had no effect on quality of life. A confirmatory phase 3 randomized controlled trial with a pragmatic design has recently been approved through NRG and will be conducted in the NCI’s Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), which will address important questions regarding generalizability and patient selection. In this presentation, we will review the pipeline for evidence-based practice, considerations for early clinical implementation, and opportunities for implementation research to ensure timely and equitable access to new interventions. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UxbmmUhjRLbYUoZbqSEn1t https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FfRGLtrnD6fnK4bCXGERQq https://cassyni.com/events/FfRGLtrnD6fnK4bCXGERQq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Cn1i6xS9xa43ixB7j2iNZt https://cassyni.com/events/FfRGLtrnD6fnK4bCXGERQq?videoPreview=1 The UKRN Open Research Programme 2021-2026: What It Has Done, What It Will Do, And What It Might Donohttps://cassyni.com/events/FfRGLtrnD6fnK4bCXGERQq?videoPreview=12023-02-24T03:00:00+00:004305.96UKRNThe workshop outlines where the Open Research Programme has got to, what its plans are for the next year, and invited participants to offer their thoughts on how the programme might best meet its aim. The UKRN Open Research Programme aims to accelerate the uptake of high quality open research practices by: - Providing training in a range of priority open research practices, especially via a train-the-trainer model - Enabling institutions to share and learn from each other about relevant policies, guidance, support and procedures - Enabling institutions responsibly to reform their recruitment, promotion and appraisal procedures, to recognise and reward open research - Providing insight on what open research practices are important and how they are adopted - Evaluating each of the interventions and adapting throughout the programmehttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Cn1i6xS9xa43ixB7j2iNZt https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CCt327L78to9HNHdsbrTt1 https://cassyni.com/events/CCt327L78to9HNHdsbrTt1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3gqryzXDhmuQQg8vLMP7eN https://cassyni.com/events/CCt327L78to9HNHdsbrTt1?videoPreview=1 Synthetic nicotine descriptors: awareness and impact on perceptions of e-cigarettes among US youthnohttps://cassyni.com/events/CCt327L78to9HNHdsbrTt1?videoPreview=12025-05-01T18:00:00+00:003279.4Center for Cancer TrainingBackground: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being advertised and sold with synthetic nicotine. Little research has examined youth awareness of synthetic nicotine or the impact of synthetic nicotine descriptors on perceptions of e-cigarettes. Methods: Participants were a sample of 1603 US adolescents (aged 13–17 years) from a probability-based panel. The survey assessed knowledge of nicotine source in e-cigarettes (from ’tobacco plants’ or ’other sources besides tobacco plants’) and awareness of e-cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine. Then, in a between-subjects experiment with a 2×3 factorial design, we manipulated descriptors on e-cigarette products: (1) nicotine label (inclusion of the word ’nicotine’: present or absent) and (2) source label (inclusion of a source: ’tobacco-free’, ’synthetic’ or absent). Results: Most youth were either unsure (48.1%) or did not think (20.2%) that nicotine in e-cigarettes comes from tobacco plants; similarly, most were unsure (48.2%) or did not think (8.1%) that nicotine in e-cigarettes comes from other sources. There was low-to-moderate awareness of e-cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine (28.7%), with higher awareness among youth who use e-cigarettes (48.0%). While no main effects were observed, there was a significant three-way interaction between e-cigarette status and the experimental manipulations. The ’tobacco-free nicotine’ descriptor increased purchase intentions relative to ’synthetic nicotine’ (simple slope: 1.20, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.75) and ’nicotine’ (simple slope: 1.20, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.73) for youth who use e-cigarettes. Conclusions: Most US youth do not know or have incorrect beliefs about the sources of nicotine in e- cigarettes and describing synthetic nicotine as ’tobacco- free nicotine’ increases purchase intentions among youth who use e-cigarettes.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3gqryzXDhmuQQg8vLMP7eN https://cassyni.com/events/YTVS2mNWY2RcosHCgqWAL5/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/YTVS2mNWY2RcosHCgqWAL5 https://cassyni.com/events/YTVS2mNWY2RcosHCgqWAL5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VZFq8DZip5avkF1F2mku4A https://cassyni.com/events/YTVS2mNWY2RcosHCgqWAL5?videoPreview=1 Climate Change, Migration, and Women's Mental Health: Global Perspectivesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/YTVS2mNWY2RcosHCgqWAL5?videoPreview=12025-09-01T15:00:00+00:003266.36Women's Health"This Special Collection emerged from an urgent need to centre mental health and the lived experiences of women who stand at the forefront of climate crises. As a psychologist deeply engaged with climate adaptation and climate justice, I feel compelled to create a space where empirical research, technological innovations, and community knowledge converge. Women from climate-affected, and migration-prone regions are not only disproportionately burdened, but also profoundly resilient. By curating this collection, we hope to amplify diverse epistemologies, support equity-driven mental health, examine technological innovation, and foster global collaborations.” - Dr. Gulnaz Anjum, Guest Editor of the Special Collectionhttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VZFq8DZip5avkF1F2mku4A https://cassyni.com/events/TX1PZvuG9StbQmZrgMoAbw/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/TX1PZvuG9StbQmZrgMoAbw https://cassyni.com/events/TX1PZvuG9StbQmZrgMoAbw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WzMekX3r2XR9y3C6BYQd18 https://cassyni.com/events/TX1PZvuG9StbQmZrgMoAbw?videoPreview=1 This is the way the world ends; not with a bang but a whimper: Estimating the number and ongoing rate of extinctions of Australian non-marine invertebratesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/TX1PZvuG9StbQmZrgMoAbw?videoPreview=12025-08-05T08:30:00+00:001975.48Cambridge PrismsThere are pervasive biases against invertebrates and other less charismatic groups in most aspects of conservation. As a consequence, extinctions of invertebrates are largely unrecognised, untallied and unmourned - and little effort is made to save highly imperilled invertebrate species from extinction. Only one invertebrate species is formally listed as extinct in Australia, whereas 39 Australian mammal taxa are listed as extinct. We attempted to estimate the actual number of invertebrate extinctions in Australia, and its ongoing rate. Our assessment was based on a range of estimates of the numbers of invertebrate species in Australia; and using Monte Carlo sampling, we extrapolated likely and conservative estimates of proportional extinctions from hose of other taxonomic groups in Australia and, separately from the global proportions of extinctions amongst the world's invertebrate species. We describe the assumptions underlying these estimates. We conclude that about 9000 Australian endemic invertebrate species have been made extinct since 1788, with the current rate of loss between one and three species per week. This figure sets a more realistic account of biodiversity loss arising from European colonisation of Australia, and we assert that this rate of loss will not be staunched unless far more attention is give to the conservation plight of invertebrates.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WzMekX3r2XR9y3C6BYQd18 https://cassyni.com/events/VzFQoM8tLjf8Svoe99bXc9/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VzFQoM8tLjf8Svoe99bXc9 https://cassyni.com/events/VzFQoM8tLjf8Svoe99bXc9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BGvMYSvdqTRQF8QQUTm7rE https://cassyni.com/events/VzFQoM8tLjf8Svoe99bXc9?videoPreview=1 Novel Imaging Of Human Fascia in vivo Using Advanced MRInohttps://cassyni.com/events/VzFQoM8tLjf8Svoe99bXc9?videoPreview=12025-03-04T03:00:00+00:003123.04The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteFascia is an abundant connective tissue that may be involved in force transmission in ways that are poorly understood. Prior experiments suggest that fascia may play a considerable role on musculoskeletal force distribution in animals and humans. There is a growing interest in modelling the mechanical contribution of this tissue, which is challenging considering the thin structure of the tissue and the difficulty of obtaining details from imaging. Here, I use advanced MRI to image the fascia in vivo to create physics-based simulations to explore fascia mechanics and probe its role in force transmission in the musculoskeletal system. This talk covers four primary studies: firstly, the development of an MRI protocol for human fascia, followed by the application of image processing techniques to enhance image quality; an in vivo assessment of fascia and surrounding lower leg muscles in adult humans, followed by the building of a finite element geometry of several lower leg muscles and its surrounding fascia to probe the biomechanics of the tissue. In this work, using advanced MRI, this novel study involves the successful imaging of lower limb fascia in high resolution. This MRI protocol was used to image 30 healthy volunteers to create a first-ever in vivo human fascia dataset. Using this dataset, I measure human fascia thickness in vivo and show that these are consistent with available literature from dissection studies which ranges from 0.7-1.1 mm. Finite element simulations demonstrate that the presence of fascia may increase the forces transmitted from muscle to tendon compared to a system that lacks fascia. We conducted simulations on different lower limb muscles to understand the impacts of different muscle architecture, and consistently, the simulation results arrive at the same conclusion. This work is the first to my knowledge to take advantage of in vivo MRI of human fascia and build physics-based models to explore human muscle-fascia biomechanics.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BGvMYSvdqTRQF8QQUTm7rE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2pbBFkZ2CZCeFKH8A9D4vH https://cassyni.com/events/2pbBFkZ2CZCeFKH8A9D4vH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XYxT5JkzxipPNMA7o9AXk2 https://cassyni.com/events/2pbBFkZ2CZCeFKH8A9D4vH?videoPreview=1 PyFR v2: Towards Industrial Adoption of Scale-Resolving Simulationsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/2pbBFkZ2CZCeFKH8A9D4vH?videoPreview=12024-12-06T17:00:00+00:001831.4JKW Symposium TeamHigh-order numerical methods for unstructured grids combine the superior accuracy of high-order spectral or finite difference methods with the geometrical flexibility of low-order finite volume or finite element schemes. The Flux Reconstruction (FR) approach unifies various high-order schemes for unstructured grids within a single framework. Additionally, the FR approach exhibits a significant degree of element locality, and is thus able to run efficiently on modern many-core hardware platforms, such as graphics processing units. Consequently, FR offers a promising route to performing affordable, and hence industrially relevant, scale-resolving simulations of hitherto intractable unsteady flows within the vicinity of real-world engineering geometries. In this talk we will describe the functionality new to PyFR v2.1. Performance and scaling numbers will be presented on a variety of platforms along with a demonstration of our state-of-the-art shock capturing technology. A brief review of the history of PyFR since its inception in 2012 will also be provided.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XYxT5JkzxipPNMA7o9AXk2 https://cassyni.com/events/3KEnJSCYe1khF5p1kaVsBb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DBQEBzKr6JUTe4jX5Ma3TC https://cassyni.com/events/AEKEx1FtnRWUjtob824oLH/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/AEKEx1FtnRWUjtob824oLH https://cassyni.com/events/AEKEx1FtnRWUjtob824oLH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BpNrnNBDAQBqf9BZBVKVDg https://cassyni.com/events/AEKEx1FtnRWUjtob824oLH?videoPreview=1 Electrochemistry as an interface for nanotechnology-enhanced water treatment and resource recoverynohttps://cassyni.com/events/AEKEx1FtnRWUjtob824oLH?videoPreview=12025-04-09T08:00:00+00:003906.64ElsevierThe advent of engineered nanomaterials and architectures hold promise of an unprecedented performance in removing persistent chemicals and recovering resources from water. Nanostructured electrodes can be designed to entail a large specific surface area and tunable properties, which allow tailoring of the electrocatalytic surface to enhance the reactions with specific contaminants. In the scope of the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project ELECTRON4WATER, we developed graphene- and metal-based nanostructured electrodes for electrochemical water treatment and resource recovery. We developed graphene sponge electrodes capable of degrading highly persistent pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as other organic and microbial pollutants. This is achieved while overcoming a major bottleneck of electrochemical water treatment – formation of toxic chlorinated byproducts, as graphene sponge anode does not form any chlorate and perchlorate even in the presence of high chloride concentrations (>1 g/L), and displays very low current efficiency (i.e., <0.1%) for the generation of chlorine. The estimated cost of their bottom-up synthesis is two orders of magnitude lower compared with the commercial electrodes. First scalable graphene-enabled electrochemical systems were developed within an ERC Proof of Concept Grant GRAPHEC and will be further upscaled and commercialized within a European Innovation Council (EIC) Grant FOREVER WATER. Furthermore, our group is currently developing functionalized monolith electrodes for electrochemical recovery of lithium and other critical raw materials (CRMs) from industrial waste streams, in the scope of ERC Consolidator Grant ELECTROmonoLITH. Through different technologies and projects developed in our group, this presentation will illustrate the significance of nanotechnology in the development of high-performing, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly water treatment and resource recovery technologies.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BpNrnNBDAQBqf9BZBVKVDg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/ChZGBRVWyiGy6qH9fhyS4D https://cassyni.com/events/ChZGBRVWyiGy6qH9fhyS4D/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B7AyKrKkbkXHMPYEPJsVnW https://cassyni.com/events/ChZGBRVWyiGy6qH9fhyS4D?videoPreview=1 A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Peer Review: Insights From Editors and Reviewersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/ChZGBRVWyiGy6qH9fhyS4D?videoPreview=12024-04-18T08:00:00+00:003525.72AAMCSpeakers who hold roles as editors and reviewers will present an overview of the peer-review process, provide practical advice on how to conduct a meaningful peer review, and give insights into writing reviewer comments that will be both useful to editors and actionable for authors. The advice shared will be applicable to journal submissions as well as conference abstracts. This webinar is part of the Scholarly Publishing Webinar Series, hosted by Academic Medicine and MedEdPORTAL. For more information on the complete series, see [aamc.org/publishingwebinar](https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/scholarly-publishing-webinar-series). https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B7AyKrKkbkXHMPYEPJsVnW https://cassyni.com/events/M6cA5g1KqrcgQeL228Evuj/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/M6cA5g1KqrcgQeL228Evuj https://cassyni.com/events/M6cA5g1KqrcgQeL228Evuj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4uh3h4QRYpwzjWFY84GyK4 https://cassyni.com/events/M6cA5g1KqrcgQeL228Evuj?videoPreview=1 A database for reduced-complexity modeling of fluid flowsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/M6cA5g1KqrcgQeL228Evuj?videoPreview=12025-08-14T14:00:00+00:003670.0AIAA JournalReduced-complexity models have proven valuable for analyzing, understanding, and controlling fluid flows. Often, these models require data as an a priori input or as an a posteriori point of comparison. We present a publicly accessible database specifically designed to aid in the conception, training, demonstration, evaluation, and comparison of reduced-complexity models for fluid mechanics. The database contains time-resolved data for six distinct datasets: a large eddy simulation of a turbulent jet, direct numerical simulations of a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer, particle-image-velocimetry measurements for the same boundary layer at several Reynolds numbers, direct numerical simulations of laminar stationary and pitching flat-plate airfoils, particle-image-velocimetry and force measurements of an airfoil encountering a gust, and a large eddy simulation of the separated, turbulent flow over an airfoil. For each dataset, we describe the flow setup and computational/experimental methods, catalog the data available in the database, and provide examples of how these data can be used for reduced-complexity modeling. All data can be downloaded using a browser interface or Globus. We envision that the common testbed provided by the database will help the fluid mechanics community clarify the distinct capabilities of new and existing reduced-complexity modeling methods. To this end, a subset of the data will serve as the starting point for a new series of challenges posed to the community in data-driven forecasting, sensing, and compression.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4uh3h4QRYpwzjWFY84GyK4 https://cassyni.com/events/PZrBK6Ex39PAmaoaZp9Zdf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6yv9N8PQtXWD7AKboqmtFg https://cassyni.com/events/RYSbVpq3nybvsJ5ovn1W4D/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/RYSbVpq3nybvsJ5ovn1W4D https://cassyni.com/events/RYSbVpq3nybvsJ5ovn1W4D/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/McX9EvUzwstScYN7Q4TNPG https://cassyni.com/events/RYSbVpq3nybvsJ5ovn1W4D?videoPreview=1 Spotlight On… Collections: The Benefits for Journals, Editors, and Authorsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/RYSbVpq3nybvsJ5ovn1W4D?videoPreview=12025-04-17T08:00:00+00:003014.04Topics at the heart of our communityCollections, also known as ‘special’ or ‘focus’ issues, have been around for decades to attract high quality submissions to a journal. In recent years, these issues have been rising in popularity. A 2023 survey of Springer Nature authors and readers (n=4809) revealed that 72% of authors submitted to a collection. Why is this? Join the conversation and find out why authors choose to submit to collections, why editors feel the experience positively contributed to journal development, and how they raise journal impact. Image credit: [Zoshua Colah (Unsplash)](https://unsplash.com/photos/bookshelves-are-filled-with-colorful-books-in-a-library-3L3wWzhAOdY).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/McX9EvUzwstScYN7Q4TNPG https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/AizU7KRJdEzJZMo6v8BmWV https://cassyni.com/events/AizU7KRJdEzJZMo6v8BmWV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/b76vzPYjkMN8ffxebd2XG https://cassyni.com/events/AizU7KRJdEzJZMo6v8BmWV?videoPreview=1 Coral probiotics: From the Laboratory to the Real Worldnohttps://cassyni.com/events/AizU7KRJdEzJZMo6v8BmWV?videoPreview=12025-09-09T14:30:00+00:00691.8Microbiome Virtual International ForumCoral reefs face intensifying heatwaves and disease, motivating nature-based interventions that strengthen holobiont resilience. I will present how we developed a practical framework for discovering, formulating, and deploying Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals (BMCs)—“coral probiotics”—from lab to reef. The pipeline integrates (i) strain sourcing with a preference for native, host-associated taxa; (ii) function-anchored screening (e.g., pathogen antagonism, antioxidant capacity, nitrogen/sulfur cycling, stress-response modulation); (iii) consortium design and delivery optimization (solution, microencapsulation); and (iv) staged validation (controlled assays from mesocosms to pilot field trials). I will share results showing reduced bleaching severity, improved survival, and beneficial microbiome restructuring across multiple coral species. A risk-assessment effort addressing non-target effects, ecological fit, supporting transparent go/no-go decisions will also be presented. Finally, I will discuss lessons from real-world applications, and outline how this stewardship approach can scale responsibly to protect and restore reefs under a warming ocean.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/b76vzPYjkMN8ffxebd2XG https://cassyni.com/events/WUvdxfJJBZ8xGPo9wFiVnM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4Wg88i9nhEjmRScGBFkyp2 https://cassyni.com/events/UzZV7AdRpmaiNk7jFBbEAq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/A4qXuTfL5PXMkFs3dwSB9Y https://cassyni.com/events/U1GH1oLNwrUZhzHj9D7uMw/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/U1GH1oLNwrUZhzHj9D7uMw https://cassyni.com/events/U1GH1oLNwrUZhzHj9D7uMw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WPiXoYrtFwopERhY9Dz6oQ https://cassyni.com/events/U1GH1oLNwrUZhzHj9D7uMw?videoPreview=1 New insights on sea turtle behaviour during the ‘lost years’nohttps://cassyni.com/events/U1GH1oLNwrUZhzHj9D7uMw?videoPreview=12025-06-04T14:00:00+00:003317.72Royal Society PublishingSeveral marine turtle species spend their first years of life in oceanic habitats. This early life stage is referred to as the ‘lost years’ due to the difficulty of accessing individuals for study offshore. We satellite tracked 114 wild-caught juvenile turtles (straight carapace lengths 12.3–29.9 cm) from the Gulf of Mexico between 2011 and 2022 to investigate ‘lost years’ movements with respect to traditional definitions assigned to the life stage. Satellite-tracked turtles included 79 green turtles (Chelonia mydas), 26 Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), 5 loggerheads (Caretta caretta) and 4 hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata). Many tracked turtles transited between oceanic (>200 m depth) and neritic waters (<200 m depth), challenging the assumption that this life stage is exclusively found in oceanic habitats. Turtle movements differed from oceanographic surface drifters, providing further evidence that sea turtles of this life stage do not exclusively drift with currents. We recommend redefining the ‘oceanic stage’ as a ‘dispersal stage’ to better reflect their behaviour and habitat plasticity. Our findings establish the West Florida Shelf as a high-use area, particularly among green turtles and Kemp’s ridleys. The northeastern Gulf of Mexico is an important region for these species of conservation concern. Image credit: ['Lost years' hawksbill, *Eretmochelys imbricata*, in the Gulf of Mexico. G. Stahelin, NMFS permit 19508]https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WPiXoYrtFwopERhY9Dz6oQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/J8JC68PtAhQErUHhdeMYE1 https://cassyni.com/events/J8JC68PtAhQErUHhdeMYE1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WVLdUBwnQCY4btPfeEtKfL https://cassyni.com/events/J8JC68PtAhQErUHhdeMYE1?videoPreview=1 Progress towards high-repetition-rate laser-plasma acceleratorsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/J8JC68PtAhQErUHhdeMYE1?videoPreview=12025-05-01T15:00:00+00:003571.84Journal of Plasma PhysicsIn a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) the ponderomotive force of a short (~ 50 fs), intense (~1018 W / cm2) laser pulse drives a trailing plasma wave. The spatial variation of the electron density within this wave generates electric fields of order 100 GV / m, around three orders of magnitude larger than those used in conventional, radio-frequency accelerators. This electric field structure, the plasma wakefield, propagates at the speed of the laser, and hence can be used to accelerate particles to relativistic energies. Laser-plasma accelerators have generated electron bunches with energies as high as ~ 10 GeV, in accelerator stages only a few centimetres long. Their compact size, and the desirable properties of the bunches they generate – such as low emittance and femtosecond duration – would seem to make laser-driven accelerators ideally suited to applications such as driving compact light sources or enabling experiments in novel high-field science. However, many of these applications would require the LPA to operate at pulse repetition rates substantially higher than the few pulses per second typically achieved today. In this colloquium I will briefly review the operation of laser-plasma accelerators and the state of the field, before discussing recent work by my group aimed at enabling GeV-scale LPAs to operate at kilohertz repetition rates: (i) the development of hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized (HOFI) plasma channels, and (ii) plasma-modulated plasma accelerators (P-MoPAs).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WVLdUBwnQCY4btPfeEtKfL https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7G2u56ALWdDJZzqSs6CZUR https://cassyni.com/events/7G2u56ALWdDJZzqSs6CZUR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5EPLdgyUnPVjbb6ryr4VVG https://cassyni.com/events/7G2u56ALWdDJZzqSs6CZUR?videoPreview=1 Evaluating the Impact of Skin Tone Representation on Out-of-Distribution Detection Performance in Dermatologynohttps://cassyni.com/events/7G2u56ALWdDJZzqSs6CZUR?videoPreview=12025-07-03T16:00:00+00:003019.92NoneAddressing representation issues in dermatological settings is crucial due to variations in how skin conditions manifest across skin tones, thereby providing competitive quality of care across different segments of the population. Although bias and fairness assessment in skin lesion classification has been an active research area, there is substantially less exploration of the implications of skin tone representations and Out-of-Distribution (OOD) detectors’ performance. Current OOD methods detect samples from different hardware devices, clinical settings, or unknown disease samples. However, the absence of robustness analysis across skin tones questions whether these methods are fair detectors. As most skin datasets are reported to suffer from bias in skin tone distribution, this could lead to higher false positive rates in a particular skin tone. In this paper, we present a framework to evaluate OOD detectors across different skin tones and scenarios. We review and compare state-of-the-art OOD detectors across two categories of skin tones, FST I-IV (lighter tones) and FST V-VI (brown and darker tones), over samples collected from dermatoscopic and clinical protocols. Our experiments show that in poorly performing OOD models, the representation gap measured between skin types is wider (from ≈ 10% to 30%) for samples from darker skin tones. Compared to better-performing models, skin type performance only differs by ≈ 2%. Furthermore, this work shows that understanding OOD methods’ performance beyond average metrics is critical to developing more fair approaches. As we observe, models with a similar overall performance have a significant difference in the representation gap, impacting FST I-IV and FST V-VI differently. Taliya Weinstein, Programming Chair of the Data Science for Health in Africa Workshop 2025 from SisonkeBiotik, will chair this seminar. Image credit: [Arista Cron (Unsplash)](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-different-colors-of-paint-on-a-wall-fhOqd6cWfuA).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5EPLdgyUnPVjbb6ryr4VVG https://cassyni.com/events/puFZa3Zgb8EB8bDGBCmUy/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/puFZa3Zgb8EB8bDGBCmUy https://cassyni.com/events/puFZa3Zgb8EB8bDGBCmUy/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bt5hNPiEEP2zY4YWZsDkNJ https://cassyni.com/events/puFZa3Zgb8EB8bDGBCmUy?videoPreview=1 Planning Your Publication: Pathways to Successnohttps://cassyni.com/events/puFZa3Zgb8EB8bDGBCmUy?videoPreview=12025-06-25T13:00:00+00:003695.36NoneIn this FREE skills-building event, we will discuss the most efficient ways to plan your next research project. This involves finding a gap in the literature to fill in with your novel findings and then selecting the perfect journal for your paper. We will also discuss some of the most common research writing mistakes that can lead to rejection -- and how to prevent them in the early stages! Join us as we outline key publication planning steps to enhance your chances of acceptance in high impact factor, SCI-listed journals. Want to save days, weeks, or months of wasted time on publication? Join us! https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bt5hNPiEEP2zY4YWZsDkNJ https://cassyni.com/events/6mPJ2QWp5AfFaEJZGeumD7/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6mPJ2QWp5AfFaEJZGeumD7 https://cassyni.com/events/6mPJ2QWp5AfFaEJZGeumD7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FYLZ9QsTvrDKLg5aHGMuqY https://cassyni.com/events/6mPJ2QWp5AfFaEJZGeumD7?videoPreview=1 Filling the Gaps in Global Microbiome Knowledge from Latin Americanohttps://cassyni.com/events/6mPJ2QWp5AfFaEJZGeumD7?videoPreview=12025-09-09T13:45:00+00:00594.0Microbiome Virtual International ForumThe human gut microbiome is central to health, yet global knowledge remains biased toward high-income countries. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with its exceptional cultural and dietary diversity, rapid urbanization, and dual burden of infectious and chronic diseases, is still underrepresented in public datasets. This gap limits our ability to define context-specific microbial baselines and risks the irreversible loss of unique microbial lineages shaped by traditional lifestyles. The Latinbiota Consortium was created to address this imbalance through collaborative, regionally led research. To date, more than 600 fecal samples from ten LAC countries have been sequenced, revealing both the extraordinary diversity of ancestral microbiomes and the rapid homogenization of urban communities. These findings echo global concerns about the erosion of VANISH taxa and the restructuring of microbial networks under modernization. Associated studies have extended this dataset across gradients of rurality and health, including individuals at risk of obesity who maintain primarily rural lifestyles. These efforts emphasize the importance of equity and capacity building, promoting data sovereignty and the active participation of local scientists and communities. By integrating regional leadership with global collaboration, this initiative aims to improve representation in microbiome research and preserve microbial diversity before it is lost.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FYLZ9QsTvrDKLg5aHGMuqY https://cassyni.com/events/EB7MifDgf2y64oq2EXmVd7/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EB7MifDgf2y64oq2EXmVd7 https://cassyni.com/events/EB7MifDgf2y64oq2EXmVd7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NuibnJj5kk1RrZiDTP1jaW https://cassyni.com/events/EB7MifDgf2y64oq2EXmVd7?videoPreview=1 Deep Horizons: Discovering Life in the Abyssnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EB7MifDgf2y64oq2EXmVd7?videoPreview=12025-06-24T13:00:00+00:004625.08Springer Nature Sustainable Development Goals ProgrammeOnly 10 – 25% of life has been discovered in the ocean, yet we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis driven by human activities from local impacts such as overfishing to global threats such as climate change. Even the deep sea now faces exploitation in the form of fisheries directed at sensitive ecosystems such as seamounts but potentially in the future from mining for strategic metals and efforts to draw CO2 from the atmosphere. We are at a time of strategic decisions on whether to exploit deep-sea ecosystems and if so, how to manage such activities. The deep sea, defined as below 200m depth, comprises more than a billion km3 of water and the deep seafloor covers ~360 million km2, about 50% of the surface of the Earth. Most of it is covered in abyssal muds, but there are also ridges, seamounts and submarine plateaus, a complex array of ecosystems about which we are still making fundamental discoveries. These ecosystems host a remarkable diversity of animals, particularly smaller organisms that live on or in sediments of the continental slope and abyssal seafloor. We will explore some of the remarkable discoveries relating to life in the deep sea which have changed our understanding of where life may occur elsewhere in the universe, including our own Solar System. New studies on the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone, in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, an area rich in polymetallic nodules of interest for commercial mining, has illustrated the diversity of species in this extreme environment and the horizons of our knowledge.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NuibnJj5kk1RrZiDTP1jaW https://cassyni.com/events/BhsLVEz4TkCZ2ebEmjy8cu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TNoraTfx9vpAPcwty7vjdg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q474kxg4qYy94oXT2fUJPf https://cassyni.com/events/Q474kxg4qYy94oXT2fUJPf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Av6cZWn94zZFkrG7oBqsy8 https://cassyni.com/events/Q474kxg4qYy94oXT2fUJPf?videoPreview=1 Bridging the Gap: Honest Conversations Between Libraries and Publishersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q474kxg4qYy94oXT2fUJPf?videoPreview=12025-07-09T11:00:00+00:003673.84Part of the nonprofit Annual Reviews organizationLibraries and publishers share a commitment to connecting readers with knowledge, yet tensions often arise around policies, pricing models, and more. This candid conversation invites participants from multiple stakeholders to explore the roots of the challenges, focus on shared values, and identify practical steps toward more collaborative and sustainable partnerships. Image credit: [Florian Wehde (Unsplash)](https://unsplash.com/photos/city-buildings-near-body-of-water-during-daytime-1uWanmgkd5g).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Av6cZWn94zZFkrG7oBqsy8 https://cassyni.com/events/GdHic9sdYcXxqBAaDw8gY5/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/GdHic9sdYcXxqBAaDw8gY5 https://cassyni.com/events/GdHic9sdYcXxqBAaDw8gY5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KDoLfFV7TD7j95NP7mYbeW https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4H7EZhDPyXcsmCPPTFQ8Jq https://cassyni.com/events/4H7EZhDPyXcsmCPPTFQ8Jq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/THxn34CioBgYaqTZ81Jdc https://cassyni.com/events/4H7EZhDPyXcsmCPPTFQ8Jq?videoPreview=1 A prevalent jumbo phage clade in human and animal gut microbiomesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4H7EZhDPyXcsmCPPTFQ8Jq?videoPreview=12026-04-21T02:00:00+00:00902.12Microbiome Virtual International ForumHuge phages are widespread in the biosphere, yet their prevalence and ecology in the human gut remain poorly characterized. Here, we report Jug (Jumbo gut) phages with genomes of 360-402 kilobase pairs that comprise ~1.1% of the reads in human gut metagenomes, and are predicted to infect Bacteroides and/or Phocaeicola. Although three of the four major groups of Jug phages shared >90% genome-wide sequence identity, their large terminase subunits exhibited only 38–57% identity, suggesting horizontal acquisition from other phages. Over 1,500 genomes of Jug phages were recovered from human and animal gut metagenomes, revealing their broad distribution, with largely shared gene content suggestive of frequent cross-animal-host transmission. Jug phages displayed high gene transcription activities, including the gene for a calcium-translocating P-type ATPase not detected previously in phages. These findings broaden our understanding of huge phages and highlight Jug phages as potential major players in gut microbiome ecology.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/THxn34CioBgYaqTZ81Jdc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4JAtuco5HEpVMmXQ1Xwa7o https://cassyni.com/events/4JAtuco5HEpVMmXQ1Xwa7o/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9j3KjzvHXMGWhcJqxDnpBQ https://cassyni.com/events/4JAtuco5HEpVMmXQ1Xwa7o?videoPreview=1 Optical metasurfaces and unusual ultrathin optical devicesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4JAtuco5HEpVMmXQ1Xwa7o?videoPreview=12022-04-08T12:00:00+00:003272.84UK Metamaterials NetworkOptical metasurfaces, as two-dimensional counterparts of metamaterials, offer unprecedented control over light’s amplitude, phase, polarization, and frequency with ultrathin, planar architectures compatible with conventional semiconductor fabrication. This compatibility enables cost-effective mass production and device miniaturization, overcoming challenges associated with bulky refractive and complex three-dimensional nanostructures. The study presents a range of metasurface-based optical devices developed using metallic nanorods and dielectric nanopillars, including metalenses with multifunctional capabilities such as dual-polarity focusing, multi-focal points with polarization control, and combined spherical-cylindrical lens functionalities. Polarization-sensitive holograms and multi-channel devices demonstrate dynamic image switching and vortex beam superposition controlled by incident light polarization. Advanced designs enable generation and manipulation of complex 3D polarization structures and composite vortex beams with engineered singularities, facilitating high-resolution polarization measurement and imaging. Additionally, metasurfaces encoding grayscale and color images within polarization profiles illustrate novel approaches to optical encryption and information hiding. Reflective metasurfaces employing Fabry–Pérot cavities achieve high-efficiency helicity-multiplexed holography. The work highlights the potential of metasurfaces for integrated photonic systems, including applications in polarization detection, imaging, and quantum optics. Future directions emphasize active metasurface devices, flexible and stretchable platforms, and integration with waveguides and fibers to realize tunable and multifunctional optical components, promising significant advances in both fundamental science and practical photonic technologies.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9j3KjzvHXMGWhcJqxDnpBQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EfnasyP6VrSutGpY2dtToK https://cassyni.com/events/EfnasyP6VrSutGpY2dtToK/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SkerPG7A9RrWZVBA4cYXw4 https://cassyni.com/events/EfnasyP6VrSutGpY2dtToK?videoPreview=1 Deloitte’s insights into AI Governancenohttps://cassyni.com/events/EfnasyP6VrSutGpY2dtToK?videoPreview=12024-05-21T23:00:00+00:003481.4Business SchoolThe rapid advancement and widespread accessibility of Generative AI (Gen AI) have underscored the critical importance of robust AI governance within organisations. Despite the transformative potential of AI to reshape business models, its adoption is often hindered by legacy underinvestment in data and technology, a lack of executive understanding, and inadequate governance frameworks. Research indicates that AI adoption in New Zealand lags behind the Asia Pacific average, ranking 7th out of 9, with 72% of students using Gen AI tools compared to only 50% of employees. Deloitte’s Trustworthy AI framework addresses these challenges by outlining key pillars for responsible AI development and deployment. This framework ensures AI systems are safe and secure, robust and reliable, accountable and responsible, private, transparent and explainable, and fair and impartial. Specific risks, such as algorithmic bias (e.g., gender and cultural bias in image generators), hallucinations (e.g., fabricated legal precedents), and security threats (e.g., phishing and deepfakes), are identified. The framework advocates for strategies like human oversight, continuous testing, community engagement, and clear accountability measures throughout the AI lifecycle, from ideation to retirement. A practical demonstration showcased how explainable AI, utilising SQL and Python agents, can demystify the "black box" nature of AI, providing insights into its decision-making process. Effective AI governance is presented as an enabler that accelerates adoption by providing clear guardrails and fostering trust.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SkerPG7A9RrWZVBA4cYXw4 https://cassyni.com/events/KbEb7WnYz5iKtuFTDqxAFw/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/KbEb7WnYz5iKtuFTDqxAFw https://cassyni.com/events/KbEb7WnYz5iKtuFTDqxAFw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6k83fHwQQAustBay2YSYwG https://cassyni.com/events/KbEb7WnYz5iKtuFTDqxAFw?videoPreview=1 Manipulating mechanical wave propagation with phononic materialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/KbEb7WnYz5iKtuFTDqxAFw?videoPreview=12025-10-21T13:00:00+00:003789.84MetaMATOne grand challenge for materials and structures design is to satisfy multiple conflicting requirements. For example, energy infrastructure, especially those in remote and extreme environments such as offshore wind turbines and nuclear reactors, requires components to operate effectively over long time periods and avoid catastrophic failures. Structural materials in aviation must be lightweight but high in strength, stiff while dampening out harmful vibrations, survive damaging impact events, and interact with complex flows in non-detrimental ways. On smaller length scales, acoustic and ultrasonic sensors require specific frequency and dissipative responses, and need to detect wavelengths that are much smaller than their physical size. This talk focuses on a common theme to these critical engineering problems: understanding how mechanical waves interact with engineered materials across different length and time scales. In particular, the field of phononic materials studies how engineering micro- and meso-scale features in materials and structures can prescribe the frequency and spatial properties of acoustic waves. Features such as spatial periodicity of the material or geometry, resonant inclusions, and nonlinearities can lead to wave propagation and modal properties not found in natural materials. New wave propagation phenomena have been discovered in these material platforms, which has been a direct result of an interdisciplinary research approach, integrating additive manufacturing, acoustics, mechanics, materials science, and design. This presentation will discuss our group’s recent research in phononic materials, focusing on (1) effects of nonlinearity on wave propagation in phononic materials, and (2) applications of phononic materials to passive flow control, using reduced order models, finite element simulations, and experiments. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6k83fHwQQAustBay2YSYwG https://cassyni.com/events/XwShGbxfxXZBnaVGCCWtQ5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HizeEz99HwTrQvLhYBA5Ev https://cassyni.com/events/FASBvf2cwJzxt3MRd5BG4d/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FASBvf2cwJzxt3MRd5BG4d https://cassyni.com/events/FASBvf2cwJzxt3MRd5BG4d/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RxdwK1Z7QwKLcvTSXDwBqg https://cassyni.com/events/FASBvf2cwJzxt3MRd5BG4d?videoPreview=1 Communicating your science to different audiences.nohttps://cassyni.com/events/FASBvf2cwJzxt3MRd5BG4d?videoPreview=12025-07-17T13:30:00+00:003716.64New PhytologistJoin *New Phytologist* Editors Colleen Iversen and Richard Norby as they share some practical advice on how to communicate your science to different audiences. They will share tips on poster and oral presentations, as well as share advice on communicating your research to different groups. This webinar is particularly relevant for delegates attending the upcoming New Phytologist next generation scientists symposium, but everyone is welcome to attend. Following Colleen and Richard’s presentation, they will be joined by additional *New Phytologist* Editors and members of the New Phytologist next generation scientists organising committee members who will answer questions on communicating research. Sign up to join us online for the [2025 New Phytologist next generation scientists symposium](https://register.oxfordabstracts.com/event/74408?preview=false) from 4-7 August 2025https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RxdwK1Z7QwKLcvTSXDwBqg https://cassyni.com/events/DAojWdNjH8WgkJKDH3TUw7/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DAojWdNjH8WgkJKDH3TUw7 https://cassyni.com/events/DAojWdNjH8WgkJKDH3TUw7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BQbmvGNQtzhNMBmdtQ7gXQ https://cassyni.com/events/DAojWdNjH8WgkJKDH3TUw7?videoPreview=1 Zebrafish Avatars: A Translational Model for Cancer Pharmacology & Precision Oncologynohttps://cassyni.com/events/DAojWdNjH8WgkJKDH3TUw7?videoPreview=12026-01-21T11:00:00+00:004237.88The Pharmacological Research family of journalsThe zebrafish has emerged as one of the most widely used and well-funded model organisms in pre-clinical cancer research over the past decade, recognized for its exceptional ability to bridge experimental discovery with clinical relevance. Its unique advantages (particularly real-time, whole-organism visualization of tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and drug response) set it apart from other in vivo cancer models. What makes the zebrafish model even more powerful for pharmacological research is the use of patient-derived xenografts, i.e. the transplantation of cancer cells from a patient’s tumor into zebrafish, creating the "Zebrafish Avatars". The Zebrafish Avatar enables the identification individualized pharmacotherapeutic responses in real-time, within ultra-short timeframes and at medium- to high-throughput capacity. By integrating high-resolution imaging, pharmacological screening, and multi-omics analyses, Zebrafish Avatars represent a transformative in vivo platform with the potential to accelerate anticancer drug discovery and refine precision-oncology decisions across multiple cancer types. This webinar will trace the evolution of Zebrafish Avatars from preclinical drug-screening tools to predictive models of patient outcomes, highlighting recent breakthroughs from co-clinical studies that demonstrate their capacity to forecast personalized therapeutic efficacy. We will showcase the distinctive features of Zebrafish Avatars through recent flagship studies that are reshaping translational cancer research, precision oncology, and cancer pharmacology. The webinar will also provide some insights from our recently funded "zBRAIN" study, the first co-clinical trial that aims to develop a double-xenograft Zebrafish Avatar model from newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients by co-transplanting patient-derived brain tumor cells and natural killer cells, in order to uncover tumor–immune dynamics in glioblastoma and predict patient-specific treatment outcomes.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BQbmvGNQtzhNMBmdtQ7gXQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9jJYR8ur7GutVB7C2ABU5B https://cassyni.com/events/9jJYR8ur7GutVB7C2ABU5B/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJayxHWksHzDcpaWWfLgqC https://cassyni.com/events/9jJYR8ur7GutVB7C2ABU5B?videoPreview=1 How Artificial Intelligence Can Counter Fake Newsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/9jJYR8ur7GutVB7C2ABU5B?videoPreview=12021-03-10T00:00:00+00:003293.48Business SchoolThe proliferation of fabricated, misleading information, commonly known as fake news, underscores the critical need for effective veracity assessment. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems have demonstrated high accuracy in detecting false content, their utility in influencing human judgment and overcoming cognitive biases remains a key challenge. This study explores the efficacy of AI interventions, specifically tailored heuristic-based advice, in supporting human news veracity assessments. An initial qualitative study identified common heuristics employed by individuals, which largely fell into cognitive (e.g., alignment with personal beliefs or past experience), source-based (e.g., trusted source), and content-based (e.g., supporting evidence, writing style) categories. Subsequent experimental work, involving participants assessing news articles on both everyday (e.g., climate change, vaccination) and emerging (e.g., COVID-19) topics, evaluated different AI advice conditions: no AI, generic AI, or AI advice tailored to source or accuracy/reliability. Results indicate that for everyday news, where strong confirmation bias was prevalent, AI advice had no significant impact on veracity judgments (baseline accuracy ~84%). Conversely, for emerging news, where initial human accuracy was lower (~72%), AI advice significantly improved assessments. Tailored AI advice, explaining the veracity judgment based on specific heuristics, yielded the highest accuracy (up to 93%). These findings suggest that AI interventions are most effective when news topics are novel and prior beliefs are less entrenched, and that explanations grounded in human decision-making heuristics enhance the acceptance of algorithmic recommendations, offering a strategic approach to counter misinformation.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJayxHWksHzDcpaWWfLgqC https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/H94EE28c6W9T8EL4Gbye7o https://cassyni.com/events/H94EE28c6W9T8EL4Gbye7o/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EuEwRDDK5oPZ1HjaKeZ4e2 https://cassyni.com/events/H94EE28c6W9T8EL4Gbye7o?videoPreview=1 Discovery of new scattering singularities in complex non-Hermitean systemsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/H94EE28c6W9T8EL4Gbye7o?videoPreview=12025-06-16T07:00:00+00:002069.2ETOPIMThe control of wave scattering in complex non-Hermitian settings is an exciting subject – often challenging the creativity of researchers and stimulating the imagination of the public. Successful outcomes include invisibility cloaks, wavefront shaping protocols, active metasurface development, and more. At their core, these achievements rely on our ability to engineer the resonant spectrum of the underlying physical structures which is conventionally accomplished by carefully imposing geometrical and/or dynamical symmetries. In contrast, by taking active control over the boundary conditions in complex scattering environments which lack artificially-imposed geometric symmetries, we demonstrate via microwave experiments the ability to manipulate the spectrum of the scattering operator [1]. This active control empowers the creation, destruction and repositioning of exceptional point degeneracies (EPD’s) in a twodimensional (2D) parameter space [2]. The presence of EPD’s signifies a coalescence of the scattering eigenmodes, which dramatically affects transport. The scattering EPD’s are partitioned in domains characterized by a binary charge, as well as an integer winding number, are topologically stable in the two-dimensional parameter space, and obey winding number-conservation laws upon interactions with each other, even in cases where Lorentz reciprocity is violated; in this case the topological domains are destroyed. Ramifications of this understanding is the proposition for a unique input-magnitude and phase-insensitive 50:50 in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) power splitter. Our study establishes an important step towards complete control of scattering processes in complex non-Hermitian settings.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EuEwRDDK5oPZ1HjaKeZ4e2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/KcJFTSNEHnuwVAocpHtGqj https://cassyni.com/events/KcJFTSNEHnuwVAocpHtGqj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/14p1r5AuNxyfVUQmhon4pe https://cassyni.com/events/KcJFTSNEHnuwVAocpHtGqj?videoPreview=1 Spectral properties of defected fractal beam latticesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/KcJFTSNEHnuwVAocpHtGqj?videoPreview=12025-06-18T05:00:00+00:003461.56ETOPIMThe study investigates the spectral properties of defected fractal beam lattices, focusing on hyperbolic and fractal geometries generated through systematic non-periodic tessellations. Hyperbolic lattices, constructed via periodic tessellations in negatively curved space and projected onto Euclidean disks, exhibit distinctive vibrational modes characterized by localization either at boundaries or interiors. Experimental validation using aluminum lattices and laser vibrometry confirms that boundary-localized modes dominate at higher frequencies, suggesting potential applications in vibration control and impact mitigation. Conformal mappings further enable the transformation of hyperbolic lattices into beam-like structures with tunable geometries, expanding design possibilities. The fractal analysis centers on Sierpinski triangle lattices formed by recursive removal of triangular subunits, embedding multiple characteristic length scales. Numerical modeling with Timoshenko beams reveals multi-scale frequency band gaps whose positions scale inversely with the square of the characteristic length, reflecting the fractal’s self-similar geometry. Integrated density of states analysis demonstrates spectral self-similarity consistent with fractal dimension calculations. Introduction of defects, modeled as localized density reductions at varying scales, systematically populates specific band gaps with defect modes, enabling potential defect size estimation from spectral features. Additionally, interface modes localized along fractal boundaries emerge, with multiple wavelengths coexisting along the same interface, indicating complex waveguiding capabilities. These findings elucidate how fractal and hyperbolic lattice architectures encode multi-scale spectral features and localized vibrational phenomena, offering novel avenues for engineered wave manipulation in mechanical metamaterials.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/14p1r5AuNxyfVUQmhon4pe https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/XxWMcXYMGEkoNr3RneSzys https://cassyni.com/events/XxWMcXYMGEkoNr3RneSzys/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9LftNXFwjPFfunCgZNhigv https://cassyni.com/events/XxWMcXYMGEkoNr3RneSzys?videoPreview=1 Super-bound states in the continuum in periodic slabsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/XxWMcXYMGEkoNr3RneSzys?videoPreview=12025-06-19T01:00:00+00:001248.2ETOPIMIn summary, a comprehensive theory and an efficient computational method for super-BICs in dielectric structures with a 1D periodicity are developed, and numerical results for a simple 1D grating are presented. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9LftNXFwjPFfunCgZNhigv https://cassyni.com/events/SXNi71RaSCfiyyoCBjTCzR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6FcrqFTuzGnjj4mfy45Kpa https://cassyni.com/events/SXNi71RaSCfiyyoCBjTCzR?videoPreview=1 Fractional Mermin-Ho relation in a spinor superconductornohttps://cassyni.com/events/SXNi71RaSCfiyyoCBjTCzR?videoPreview=12025-06-18T23:00:00+00:00583.88ETOPIMThe study investigates a novel class of monopole superconductivity arising from inter-Fermi surface pairing in three-dimensional systems with broken time-reversal symmetry. Specifically, it focuses on pairing between a trivial Fermi surface and one with a nonzero Chern number, resulting in a Cooper pair characterized by a half-odd-integer monopole charge. This topological sector enforces a singular spinor representation of the pairing order parameter, described by monopole harmonics. Analysis within a lattice tight-binding model reveals that the superconducting gap exhibits a single emergent Bogoliubov–de Gennes (BdG) Weyl node, contrasting with conventional chiral p-wave superconductors that possess pairs of nodes. This phenomenon exemplifies a violation of the Nielsen–Ninomiya theorem in superconducting systems where U(1) symmetry is broken. Extending to spatially inhomogeneous superconductors, the pairing order parameter’s spinor texture contributes to the superfluid velocity, yielding a fractional Mermin–Ho relation with an additional one-half factor compared to the conventional case in superfluid helium-3 A. This fractional relation predicts the existence of cordless vortices induced by nontrivial pseudospin textures, potentially enabling unique vortex configurations such as single vortices in spherical harmonic traps. The findings elucidate the interplay between topology and superconducting order in spinor superconductors, offering new avenues for exploring exotic quasiparticles and topological defects in unconventional superconductivity.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6FcrqFTuzGnjj4mfy45Kpa https://cassyni.com/events/NZ9qWFBb2BxgkXUkUjsVSM/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/NZ9qWFBb2BxgkXUkUjsVSM https://cassyni.com/events/NZ9qWFBb2BxgkXUkUjsVSM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SbZZeXHmzrkURQeL5LhPdp https://cassyni.com/events/NZ9qWFBb2BxgkXUkUjsVSM?videoPreview=1 Investigating the Role of Everyday Material Exposures on Fertilitynohttps://cassyni.com/events/NZ9qWFBb2BxgkXUkUjsVSM?videoPreview=12026-04-15T14:00:00+00:003236.72Women's Health“A woman’s health is her wealth. A threat to women’s health anywhere is a threat to health everywhere.” - Prof. Anuli Njoku, Guest Editor of the Special Collection This seminar has been scheduled thoughtfully to coincide with Black Maternal Health Week in April 2026.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SbZZeXHmzrkURQeL5LhPdp https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5n9LAJFXzyQTqzLuucXs6u https://cassyni.com/events/5n9LAJFXzyQTqzLuucXs6u/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3kPJjftMFBy1rJLaNTRnY6 https://cassyni.com/events/5n9LAJFXzyQTqzLuucXs6u?videoPreview=1 Invader-driven changes in soil fungal communities and consequences for restorationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/5n9LAJFXzyQTqzLuucXs6u?videoPreview=12025-07-09T12:00:00+00:00912.04NoneInvasive plants can alter soil abiotic and biotic properties, but whether changes are invader-specific and influence native plant restoration are not well known. We grew monocultures of four invasive plants common to the intermountain West of the USA or a mixture of native grasses and forbs for ten years. We then eradicated communities and planted seedlings of native grasses and forbs and assessed restoration trajectories for two years.  Invasive plants changed soil fungal communities in species-specific ways, and three out of four invaders accumulated putative pathogens over time, which was unexpected based on the enemy release hypothesis. Despite this, productivity was ~50-150% higher in invaded than native plots without distinct differences in soil abiotic properties. Restoration of native grasses and forbs depended on previous plant communities where coverage of grasses was higher than forbs in former forb invasions whereas forb coverage was higher in the former annual grass invasion and in the grass-dominated native community. These differences coincided with legacies of putative fungal pathogens, not mutualists, or soil abiotic properties. While restoration ecology has focused on elevated nitrogen associated with invasion, our work indicates that biotic soil legacies, including pathogens, may be more important and differ among invaders.  https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3kPJjftMFBy1rJLaNTRnY6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/P3oSYvq7TeWjkJ1e5BAHhf https://cassyni.com/events/P3oSYvq7TeWjkJ1e5BAHhf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KPr7fXrqbkWMVGTk58JBSv https://cassyni.com/events/P3oSYvq7TeWjkJ1e5BAHhf?videoPreview=1 Enhancing African ecosystem representation in land surface models: a focus on plant functional types in JULES.nohttps://cassyni.com/events/P3oSYvq7TeWjkJ1e5BAHhf?videoPreview=12025-08-05T14:15:00+00:00687.64NoneThe accurate representation of African ecosystems in most of the global land surface models (LSMs) remains a critical challenge, limiting our understanding of the dynamics of carbon, water, and energy across this diverse region. This study addresses these gaps by refining the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) through improved parameterization of plant functional types (PFTs). A key foundation of this work involved the systematic classification of plant species observed in Africa, using data from the TRY plant trait database. This process identified key traits and grouped species into appropriate PFTs represented in JULES, providing region-specific parameters for JULES LSM. The ongoing project involves validating the model against flux data from 16 African sites, spanning diverse biomes such as savannas, grasslands, and tropical forests. By integrating these refined PFTs and site-specific environmental conditions, this research aims to improve model accuracy and advance our understanding of ecosystem responses to climate change. These efforts highlight the importance of regional data in enhancing the global applicability of LSMs.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KPr7fXrqbkWMVGTk58JBSv https://cassyni.com/events/Hcfo3QiLdcRfMRmQUGAViD/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Hcfo3QiLdcRfMRmQUGAViD https://cassyni.com/events/Hcfo3QiLdcRfMRmQUGAViD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RaZhLDKgW7RVwW271iP7SW https://cassyni.com/events/Hcfo3QiLdcRfMRmQUGAViD?videoPreview=1 Reconfiguring Expertise for Emerging Technology Governance: The Case of International Expert Panels for AInohttps://cassyni.com/events/Hcfo3QiLdcRfMRmQUGAViD?videoPreview=12025-10-22T15:00:00+00:004418.48Manchester Institute of Innovation Research and Georgia Tech School of Public PolicyArtificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a critical object of global governance. International organizations have historically turned to expert-led panels such as the IPCC and IPBES to provide epistemic authority and coordination in contested domains. Yet scholarship on science, technology and innovation governance shows that such models are not neutral: they reproduce power asymmetries, marginalise alternative knowledges, and risk technocratic exclusion. Against this backdrop, we ask whether, and under what conditions, expert-led governance can play a constructive role in addressing AI’s global challenges. Drawing on the nominal group technique and preliminary analysis of themes extracted from two expert workshops (Manchester and Georgia Tech), we identify both continuities and new design imperatives. Across five guiding questions, participants highlighted a set of recurring themes: AI’s rapid and systemic nature, the risk of elite capture and epistemic inequality, the instability of the governance object itself and temporal misalignments between technological change and institutional response. At the same time, they proposed concrete avenues for a response. Themes of transparency, diversity, decentralization, reflexivity, and political accountability recurred across discussions, alongside calls for inclusive selection processes, structured deliberation methods, and integration of Global South and 'non-expert' perspectives. These findings point to a widespread recognition that, given the specific challenges of AI, the changing geopolitical context, and longstanding critiques of expert processes, governance institutions must reconfigure how expertise is organized and mobilized, shifting from closed technocratic models toward distributed, adaptive, and publicly accountable arrangements capable of keeping pace with AI’s global impacts.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RaZhLDKgW7RVwW271iP7SW https://cassyni.com/events/YS7vRv85oM31c3UmzJdraH/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/YS7vRv85oM31c3UmzJdraH https://cassyni.com/events/YS7vRv85oM31c3UmzJdraH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UvJGrAkhKGKCxnjNuaJMk https://cassyni.com/events/YS7vRv85oM31c3UmzJdraH?videoPreview=1 Application of Receptor Chromatography in Drug Discovery from Natural Productsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/YS7vRv85oM31c3UmzJdraH?videoPreview=12026-09-15T11:00:00+00:003369.4The Pharmacological Research family of journalsNatural products have long been recognized as valuable sources for discovering compounds with significant therapeutic potential. However, the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of these substances often pose considerable challenges in isolating and identifying bioactive compounds. Receptor chromatography is a bio-inspired chromatographic method that incorporates in vivo receptor-ligand recognition specificity into chromatographic separation. It is used for determining the binding affinities to different ligands as their retention times differs from each other. What’s more, receptor chromatography is also employed in ligand fishing from complex systems such as the natural products as it preserves the properties of high specificity, high stability and high speed. This makes it an invaluable strategy for high-throughput screening and lead compound discovery.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UvJGrAkhKGKCxnjNuaJMk https://cassyni.com/events/DfUxfwY97wzWZmJj59aT7K/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/DfUxfwY97wzWZmJj59aT7K https://cassyni.com/events/DfUxfwY97wzWZmJj59aT7K/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8LCWNkAFztkN3on75VFHJN https://cassyni.com/events/DfUxfwY97wzWZmJj59aT7K?videoPreview=1 What is money?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/DfUxfwY97wzWZmJj59aT7K?videoPreview=12025-11-26T15:00:00+00:006154.76Logica UniversalisWe discuss the issue of money in the perspective of the Socratic-Platonic question “What is X?”, using different methodologies, such as definition, quotations, the pyramid of meaning, word cloud, the theory of opposition. Then we examine the notion of business, the case of Switzerland, the relation between money and art. In the last part we place money among eight other characteristics of human beings.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8LCWNkAFztkN3on75VFHJN https://cassyni.com/events/RX55tyad4JDKfUHPEF9CJR/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/RX55tyad4JDKfUHPEF9CJR https://cassyni.com/events/RX55tyad4JDKfUHPEF9CJR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GMUsqLyVpDyRwJ6sytDCqc https://cassyni.com/events/RX55tyad4JDKfUHPEF9CJR?videoPreview=1 Shape Optimization of Microstructures Governed by Maxwell's Equations  nohttps://cassyni.com/events/RX55tyad4JDKfUHPEF9CJR?videoPreview=12026-01-27T14:00:00+00:003018.36MetaMATThis talk is concerned with a class of shape optimization problems involving optical metamaterial consisting of periodic nanoscale inclusions. We will first summarize the underlying microscale model and the corresponding homogenization theory that will serve as a basis for the shape optimization problem. We will then introduce a deformation field on the cell problem and, subsequently, formulate and solve the shape optimization problems using an adjoint approach. Finally, we will discuss a related eigenvalue optimization problem and some potential improvements to the computational speed of the finite element assembly as it relates to shape optimization problems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GMUsqLyVpDyRwJ6sytDCqc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EA3hNje1MKmUUEh1gFE3p9 https://cassyni.com/events/EA3hNje1MKmUUEh1gFE3p9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/93jotui7ac59o5mjVxaPJN https://cassyni.com/events/EA3hNje1MKmUUEh1gFE3p9?videoPreview=1 The Magnification of Inequities During COVID-19 and Why it Matters for Sciencenohttps://cassyni.com/events/EA3hNje1MKmUUEh1gFE3p9?videoPreview=12021-11-04T09:00:00+00:002929.6 School of Public PolicyNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/93jotui7ac59o5mjVxaPJN https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Bgog9KQPA2zwS5TEDTRgow https://cassyni.com/events/Bgog9KQPA2zwS5TEDTRgow/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BELNb2Edi7fJmds1WhAdRQ https://cassyni.com/events/Bgog9KQPA2zwS5TEDTRgow?videoPreview=1 The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools in the Scholarly Publishing Process: Considerations and Practical Suggestions for Scholarsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Bgog9KQPA2zwS5TEDTRgow?videoPreview=12024-09-10T08:00:00+00:003701.16AAMCIn this webinar, Chhavi Chauhan, PhD, ELS, and Tom Ciavarella address the opportunities and challenges that AI affords to scholars. They explore when and how authors, reviewers, and publishers can use AI tools in the scholarly publishing process, with an eye towards responsible use. This webinar is part of the Scholarly Publishing Webinar Series, hosted by Academic Medicine and MedEdPORTAL. For more information on the complete series, see [aamc.org/publishingwebinar](https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/scholarly-publishing-webinar-series).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BELNb2Edi7fJmds1WhAdRQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q33QR36PXqmXUEPSUNvrah https://cassyni.com/events/Q33QR36PXqmXUEPSUNvrah/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5g3KpLCymiRqYmCDTajsYr https://cassyni.com/events/Q33QR36PXqmXUEPSUNvrah?videoPreview=1 Teaching Trends in Anatomy Education in Modern Medical Curriculanohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q33QR36PXqmXUEPSUNvrah?videoPreview=12024-05-15T08:00:00+00:003647.68AAMCDuring this webinar, presenters will provide an overview of changes in anatomy education. In the post-COVID era, with limited time and resources, the push for integrated and clinically-relevant anatomy education is more relevant than ever. In this talk, two models of anatomy education will be compared and contrasted: one that relies on primarily a dissection-based model, and the other on prosection-based model. Considerations for resources, integration of clinical application, technology use will be explored. Finally, how teaching practices intersect with new approaches in assessment will be addressed. This webinar is part of the Building Better Curriculum Series, hosted by the AAMC. For more information on the complete series, see the [series webpage](https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/curriculum-resources/establish-your-ci/webinars).  https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5g3KpLCymiRqYmCDTajsYr https://cassyni.com/events/JbukuWychogT5N9CsTw4bF/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/JbukuWychogT5N9CsTw4bF https://cassyni.com/events/JbukuWychogT5N9CsTw4bF/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WZqyPPiXwQ7QWD4KJDwDvW https://cassyni.com/events/JbukuWychogT5N9CsTw4bF?videoPreview=1 Dandelion-Inspired Aerodynamicsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/JbukuWychogT5N9CsTw4bF?videoPreview=12025-10-08T13:00:00+00:003192.04Department of AeronauticsThe dandelion diaspore has one of the most efficient dispersal mechanisms in the plant realm. Its filamentous structure allows a high area per unit volume. The filament diameter maximises drag per unit area. The filament's interaction is revealed by a Separated Vortex Ring (SVR) in its wake. To investigate its aerodynamics, we consider a simplified model made of a disk with uniform permeability. The Reynolds and the Darcy numbers govern the drag and result in a wide range of wake topologies, from a steady axisymmetric SVR to chaotic. We study the dandelion's dynamic response to wind perturbations. We developed a unique bespoke wind tunnel to replicate uniform, irrotational, horizontal gusts. We discovered that such gusts result in an upward force on any free-falling body, including impervious infinite-span cylinders with rectangular and circular sections. The resulting altitude gain depends on gust accelerations, density ratio, nondimensional inertia, and Galilei number. We conjecture that the dandelion has a stem length optimising inertia for gust response with minimal increase in Galilei number. Ongoing work includes the investigation of the dandelion in turbulence and the development of dandelion-inspired drones, dandidrones, for swarm sensing. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WZqyPPiXwQ7QWD4KJDwDvW https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/K6ZMxCd99GEW58g6TuDrrZ https://cassyni.com/events/K6ZMxCd99GEW58g6TuDrrZ/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CojspiecMEGtHqhNMPS7yG https://cassyni.com/events/K6ZMxCd99GEW58g6TuDrrZ?videoPreview=1 Nanotechnology, Risks, & Regulatory Optionsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/K6ZMxCd99GEW58g6TuDrrZ?videoPreview=12018-03-27T08:00:00+00:003364.96 School of Public PolicyThe National Science Foundation estimated that revenues from nano-enabled products grew worldwide from about $340 billion in 2010 to $731 billion in 2012, and more than $1 trillion in 2013. The impact of the nanotechnology revolution is undeniable, with vast potential benefits, from consumer products to industrial products, pharmaceutical and military applications, energy technologies, cosmetics, and so on. But along with these benefits come potential risks. As the EPA wrote in 2016, “nanomaterials are very useful, but there is little research about how they affect human and ecosystem health.” Uncertainties about health, safety, and environmental effects, and even about how to define and classify nanomaterials, have persisted. It is certain that regulatory policies in the U.S. and internationally will attempt to address these risks and balance them with the benefits, but several decades of experience reveals that analogies to previous emerging technologies are difficult and regulators have been hesitant to make definitive decisions. In some ways, the regulatory regime that will emerge may be as innovative as the technology that it addresses. In this talk I will examine some of the legally and politically inescapable procedural and substantive aspects of nanotechnology regulation, and identify some of the directions that American regulatory policy might move.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CojspiecMEGtHqhNMPS7yG https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VUB3vZDAMsrvbdyEV1AkY5 https://cassyni.com/events/VUB3vZDAMsrvbdyEV1AkY5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Wa51F1c4L5VGp9fR7Q4sc2 https://cassyni.com/events/VUB3vZDAMsrvbdyEV1AkY5?videoPreview=1 Optimal Risk Pooling of Peer-to-Peer Insurancenohttps://cassyni.com/events/VUB3vZDAMsrvbdyEV1AkY5?videoPreview=12025-07-06T01:00:00+00:001122.28Risk SciencesPeer-to-peer (P2P) insurance models combine insurer’s underwriting with peers’ risk sharing. This paper presents a mathematical formulation of two emerging P2P insurance models: the individual-covered model and the group-covered model, and establishes their equivalence for a homogeneous participant pool. Both models involve a two-layered risk allocation approach: the first layer covers losses below the deductible and is distributed among the participants, while the second layer addresses losses that surpass the risk-bearing capacity of the pool and are assumed by an insurer. Furthermore, we provide a theoretical analysis of the optimal level of risk pooling in terms of the deductible in P2P insurance, exploring its existence, closed-form expression, and associated properties. [***Risk Sciences***](https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/risk-sciences/) aims to foster diverse, multidisciplinary insights in risk sciences, bridging theory and practice through a series of academic activities. This speech record is an excerpt from Dr. Chen's keynote speech for the [Risk Sciences Colloquium – 2025 International Workshop on Risk Sharing (IWRS)](https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/risk-sciences/event/) , which was held on July 6-7, 2025, in Beijing, China. This video is categorized under ***General Theory***.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Wa51F1c4L5VGp9fR7Q4sc2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/S1dpbmgVHfzHZwffqLno1F https://cassyni.com/events/S1dpbmgVHfzHZwffqLno1F/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BG4kokxS4tjsdxJEWgi2tv https://cassyni.com/events/S1dpbmgVHfzHZwffqLno1F?videoPreview=1 The Gilded Age and Progressive Era: Feeble Timesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/S1dpbmgVHfzHZwffqLno1F?videoPreview=12024-01-03T09:00:00+00:003669.44 School of Public PolicyThis analysis examines the economic leadership and presidential influence during the United States’ Gilded Age (circa 1865–1901), a period marked by rapid industrialization, financial crises, and political transformation. Employing a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, the study evaluates the economic performance of seven presidents—Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, and McKinley—through metrics such as growth, inflation, employment, and fiscal stability, supplemented by extensive archival research into their policies, political strategies, and ideological visions. Findings indicate that presidents with a clear, proactive vision for economic management, particularly regarding monetary, fiscal, and trade policies, demonstrated greater success in stabilizing and promoting growth. For instance, McKinley’s advocacy of protectionist tariffs and active political coalition-building contributed to economic recovery following the Panic of 1893, whereas Cleveland’s strict constitutionalism and reluctance to expand government intervention correlated with economic downturns despite his personal diligence. The presidency’s limited formal powers, constrained by Congress and institutional design, necessitated political skill and vision to influence economic outcomes effectively. The study further contextualizes these dynamics within broader forces of technological innovation, globalization, and evolving political coalitions, drawing parallels to contemporary economic challenges and policy debates. Implications underscore the importance of presidential vision and political acumen in navigating structural economic pressures, while highlighting the enduring tension between institutional constraints and leadership agency in shaping national economic trajectories.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BG4kokxS4tjsdxJEWgi2tv https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UUsqqBv7Uxkmvt9EP2hRjB https://cassyni.com/events/UUsqqBv7Uxkmvt9EP2hRjB/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2eBZrMbB24tAXEtyHg7sMp https://cassyni.com/events/UUsqqBv7Uxkmvt9EP2hRjB?videoPreview=1 Georgia Tech EV Charging Pilot and Studies Updatenohttps://cassyni.com/events/UUsqqBv7Uxkmvt9EP2hRjB?videoPreview=12025-04-03T08:00:00+00:00709.36 School of Public PolicyThe Georgia Tech Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Pilot and associated studies address critical challenges in advancing sustainable transportation infrastructure amid evolving grid dynamics and carbon reduction goals. A multi-year, competitively funded research program supported five projects focusing on key areas including smart charging behavior, battery recycling and repurposing, urban electrification resilience, and micro-mobility integration. Notably, smart charging investigations revealed unintended grid stress caused by synchronized user responses to off-peak pricing incentives, highlighting complexities in demand management. Battery lifecycle analyses evaluated the energy, emissions, and cost trade-offs of deep recycling versus second-life applications. Urban electrification studies considered long-term resilience strategies for electric fleets in disaster-prone regions. Additionally, a detailed analysis of campus EV charging patterns demonstrated significant variability in emissions profiles depending on charging timing, duration, and grid generation mix, underscoring the importance of aligning charging behavior with cleaner energy availability. Complementary infrastructure developments include a photovoltaic-battery microgrid testbed designed to optimize solar energy storage and EV charging load shifting, enhancing grid integration and emissions reduction. These efforts collectively emphasize the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches combining behavioral, technical, and policy insights to optimize EV deployment and grid interaction. The findings inform future pilot designs and policy frameworks aimed at maximizing environmental benefits while addressing operational challenges in EV charging infrastructure.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2eBZrMbB24tAXEtyHg7sMp https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5GQSf4WSrSj2RxDPZDsT7j https://cassyni.com/events/5GQSf4WSrSj2RxDPZDsT7j/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QZZEeUMvRVsfYty6jGpia https://cassyni.com/events/5GQSf4WSrSj2RxDPZDsT7j?videoPreview=1 Finding Our Place: The Origins of Sustainabilitynohttps://cassyni.com/events/5GQSf4WSrSj2RxDPZDsT7j?videoPreview=11993-10-05T08:00:00+00:004869.32 School of Public PolicyThis seminar explores the philosophical and ecological origins of sustainability by critically examining traditional and contemporary conceptions of nature’s constancy and change. It addresses the longstanding Western intellectual assumption—rooted in both Greek and Hebrew traditions—that explanations of natural phenomena must be grounded in something eternal and unchanging. The analysis distinguishes two key arguments from the emerging “new ecology”: first, that ecosystems are dynamic and in constant flux, challenging equilibrium-based management models; second, that reliance on grand ecological theories has often overshadowed empirical attention to local, particular systems. Drawing on hierarchy theory, the discussion proposes a framework recognizing multiple temporal and spatial scales of ecological change, where relative stability exists alongside continuous transformation. This perspective reframes ecological communities not as static wholes or entities with intrinsic value, but as ongoing processes exhibiting creativity and self-repair. The critique extends to environmental ethics, highlighting how tendencies to personify nature and emphasize intrinsic value have impeded adaptive management approaches. The seminar advocates shifting focus from preserving fixed ecological states to sustaining complex, creative ecological processes, encapsulated in a sustainability principle that forbids any generation from irreversibly destroying nature’s dynamic processes. This conceptual shift has significant implications for environmental policy, suggesting a move toward scalar, process-oriented management strategies that better reflect ecological realities and ethical responsibilities across generations.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QZZEeUMvRVsfYty6jGpia https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/F9NXajSwdboMHUDR4ndpFf https://cassyni.com/events/F9NXajSwdboMHUDR4ndpFf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AP9xWXbkFRYNgg8nbjeBkJ https://cassyni.com/events/F9NXajSwdboMHUDR4ndpFf?videoPreview=1 Shear dynamics at the edge of magnetised fusion plasmasnohttps://cassyni.com/events/F9NXajSwdboMHUDR4ndpFf?videoPreview=12023-10-19T06:00:00+00:002695.64Journal of Plasma PhysicsTransport bifurcations are essential to fusion performance and mostly originate in a narrow, peripheral region of the confined plasma, the ‘edge’. This region however is especially challenging to model and to understand. The plasma edge is home to large, concentrated shear and to steep gradients. As turbulent scales become comparable to free energy gradient scales, oft-assumed scale separations in turbulence models break down, promoting the use of more computationally-intensive ‘flux-driven’ frameworks. Sources and boundary conditions play an important role as the plasma edge sits at the confluence of conflicting dynamics, notably outgoing heat and particle fluxes from the confined core and incoming particle or momentum fluxes from the unconfined Scrape-Off Layer (SOL). Through magnetic connection to the material boundaries, sheath physics also strongly influences SOL dynamics, which in turn constrains electric field (and thus shear) dynamics in the plasma edge. We propose to review some of the key features above, some recent results and passage points that have been obtained in view of a consistent flux-driven description of the plasma edge. In particular, we will discuss evidence that magnetic connection with the material boundaries deeply modifies the turbulence drive in the edge, leading to a global reorganisation of fluctuations and the onset of a modest yet stable transport barrier close to the magnetic separatrix. We will briefly touch upon the mechanisms and causality behind electric field and shear (vorticity) production in the edge, highlighting the special importance of diamagnetic fluctuations. We will question the electric field dependence on plasma current at the edge and confront calculations to experimental measurements. The last part of the talk will be concerned with describing sheath physics within our kinetic framework and steps that have been undertaken in view of incorporating this physics into a comprehensive (gyro)kinetic turbulence model. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AP9xWXbkFRYNgg8nbjeBkJ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9iEt5DLAoZiGtbyBTse2GD https://cassyni.com/events/9iEt5DLAoZiGtbyBTse2GD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JdWRvBr1ceXTQ4DkKKPn6 https://cassyni.com/events/9iEt5DLAoZiGtbyBTse2GD?videoPreview=1 Biophysics in Africa: Solving the molecular structure of African horse sickness virus VP2nohttps://cassyni.com/events/9iEt5DLAoZiGtbyBTse2GD?videoPreview=12024-11-27T06:00:00+00:002723.36Springer Nature Physics CommunityAfrican horse sickness virus (AHSV) is one of the most lethal viruses known to infect horses. Reverse genetics has been used in vaccine research and with the aid of structural insights, could further improve AHSV vaccines. With the structure of bluetongue virus being known, many of the structural AHSV proteins can be modelled with homology modelling. VP2, the receptor binding protein, is an exception, however. Previous whole virus CryoEM work revealed overall AHSV structure, but only up to 14 Å resolution. In order to model AHSV VP2, a combination of deep learning based protein folding and CryoEM was used to resolve the structure for the majority of recombinant AHSV VP2 up to 4 Å resolution.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JdWRvBr1ceXTQ4DkKKPn6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/N4UcLw2BBNUrw4VEgdkXG9 https://cassyni.com/events/N4UcLw2BBNUrw4VEgdkXG9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJjYzfz6QEKLXG2bwNm3G2 https://cassyni.com/events/N4UcLw2BBNUrw4VEgdkXG9?videoPreview=1 The Art of Achieving Two Goals with One Strategy via Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C–H Activationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/N4UcLw2BBNUrw4VEgdkXG9?videoPreview=12025-07-31T08:00:00+00:003674.52Thieme India ChemTalksC–H functionalization is an emerging synthetic strategy allowing for innovation in total synthesis and new methodologies for drug development. One particularly useful C–H functionalization procedure has been achieved by the migratory insertion of carbenes, which are typically generated from diazo compounds.[1] Interestingly, they have been extensively explored in various C–H functionalizations, such as alkylations, alkenylations, annulations, etc.[2] However, a potential drawback of the use of diazo compounds as carbene precursors is the issue of safe handling of large quantities of these high-energy compounds.[3] Recently, our group focused on the utilization of non-diazo compounds, such as iodonium ylides have been introduced as a safe and alternative carbene coupling partner in C–H functionalizations and have grown rapidly, and a large number of synthetically challenging transformations have been disclosed.[4] In addition, we also focused on the utilization of conjugated alkynes (1,4-eneynes) in C-H functionalization reactions.[5] Overall, the iodonium ylides and conjugated alkynes brought a new diversity in synthetic transformations, such as chemo-, regioselective pathways, cascade annulations, etc. Through this talk, I will show some of our recent results, which include the diverse transformations, conditions, mechanisms and applications of the corresponding reaction in detail (Scheme 1).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QJjYzfz6QEKLXG2bwNm3G2 https://cassyni.com/events/H7zZt6YvnnwqXxmtgA3XY1/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/H7zZt6YvnnwqXxmtgA3XY1 https://cassyni.com/events/H7zZt6YvnnwqXxmtgA3XY1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2peZxGiiaVF4zsPwxReBmQ https://cassyni.com/events/H7zZt6YvnnwqXxmtgA3XY1?videoPreview=1 Exploring L2 vocabulary: Reflection on a research journeynohttps://cassyni.com/events/H7zZt6YvnnwqXxmtgA3XY1?videoPreview=12025-11-21T03:10:00+00:002860.4Linguistics and Applied Language StudiesAs an LALS alumna, in this seminar I will reflect on my eight-year research journey since completing my PhD at LALS. My work has developed along three interconnected strands: word list research, vocabulary in academic spoken English, and the development of academic vocabulary knowledge. The first strand focuses on the creation and evaluation of a range of word lists, as well as a state-of-the-art review of word list studies, which highlights a gap between research and classroom practice. The second strand examines the lexical demands of academic spoken English and the crucial role of general high-frequency words in learners’ comprehension. It also explores factors influencing vocabulary learning, including textbooks, teachers, and input exposure. The third strand investigates how learners’ knowledge of academic vocabulary develops over time, drawing on longitudinal evidence from students in discipline-specific courses. I will conclude by outlining my current and ongoing projects, which continue along these lines of research: (a) exploring the potential of generative AI in vocabulary research and learning, and (b) tracking the development of academic words and collocations over time.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2peZxGiiaVF4zsPwxReBmQ https://cassyni.com/events/SWK3m5qu8VU7PiF2bHX6Qd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WUW94z7KhbcxxRBxmCVqaN https://cassyni.com/events/EeR5H88fmB4JgT27L72A3X/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EeR5H88fmB4JgT27L72A3X https://cassyni.com/events/EeR5H88fmB4JgT27L72A3X/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6PFDGr4SLN6SXjbmAs5bGJ https://cassyni.com/events/EeR5H88fmB4JgT27L72A3X?videoPreview=1 Counter-ion Competition Dehydration: A New Mechanism of Enhanced Ion Permeation in Nanofiltration Membranesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EeR5H88fmB4JgT27L72A3X?videoPreview=12026-02-04T10:00:00+00:003527.28ElsevierThe separation of small organics from inorganic salts and ion-selective separations are central to wastewater valorization and the extraction of strategic metals. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are well suited for these applications; however, most existing studies focus on increasing salt rejection. In practice, reducing salt rejection while maintaining high membrane selectivity is equally important, as it lowers osmotic pressure, enhances target salt recovery, and reduces energy consumption. This presentation focuses on promoting salt ion permeation through NF membranes, using the resource recovery of high-salinity organic wastewater and magnesium–lithium separation as representative case studies. We introduce the design and fabrication of mix-charged NF membranes with enhanced selectivity toward small organics and divalent salts, as well as the discovery and validation of a new mechanism of counter-ion competitive dehydration. Based on this mechanism, highly ion-selective NF membrane materials have been developed. This presentation aims to draw attention to the importance of target-product permeance: even when calculated selectivity or separation factors are high (with near-complete rejection of undesired species), insufficiently low rejection of the species intended to permeate can lead to excessive operating pressure and increased diafiltration solvent demand to achieve acceptable recovery or purity, ultimately limiting the practical applicability of NF membranes.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6PFDGr4SLN6SXjbmAs5bGJ https://cassyni.com/events/SzxeomVRZx2APUmvBiotfw/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SzxeomVRZx2APUmvBiotfw https://cassyni.com/events/SzxeomVRZx2APUmvBiotfw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TzUtQGWcuNnM2Uog4PVStn https://cassyni.com/events/SzxeomVRZx2APUmvBiotfw?videoPreview=1 Where are we in the global energy transition?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/SzxeomVRZx2APUmvBiotfw?videoPreview=12025-10-23T13:00:00+00:003181.04Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable AviationRecent advances in electrification of energy and decarbonization of electricity are promising, but they confirm that the pathway to net zero requires choices in addition to provision of renewable electricity. MIT Global Change Outlook projects a sizeable need for hydrocarbons in the form of liquid and gaseous fuels for sectors such as heavy-duty long-distance transport, high-temperature industrial heat, agriculture, and chemical production. Hydrogen-based fuels remain attractive options, but the challenges related to their scaling opportunities and costs must be resolved. Current interests in small modular reactors and large-scale nuclear facilities, especially for the needs of AI and datacenters, create an important opportunity for further advances in nuclear energy development. Decision-makers looking to lower greenhouse gas emissions must choose from many technology and policy options. Dr. Paltsev from MIT studies the array of technology options, such as electric cars, decarbonizing cement and steel production, sustainable aviation fuels, direct air capture, and policy options, such as carbon pricing, carbon border adjustment mechanisms, and others. He will discuss the economic and climate impacts of energy decisions in different regions of the world.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TzUtQGWcuNnM2Uog4PVStn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5m5fpNfrhGCrFinkKAbkX7 https://cassyni.com/events/5m5fpNfrhGCrFinkKAbkX7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/15vgpK7bargjNfGnDoAweW https://cassyni.com/events/5m5fpNfrhGCrFinkKAbkX7?videoPreview=1 Preventing the Next Pandemic: Exploring the Origins and Spread of Animal Virusesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/5m5fpNfrhGCrFinkKAbkX7?videoPreview=12020-12-16T06:00:00+00:003585.08Part of the nonprofit Annual Reviews organizationDuring this discussion, two leading wildlife epidemiologists will describe how new infectious pathogens are transmitted from one species to another, a process called “spillover,” and what can be done to prevent future pandemics. Are human activities accelerating the emergence of more infectious diseases? What can we learn from areas where spillover is common? In the tropics, for example, a highly populated and biodiverse region, how are land-use changes driving transmission of pathogens from wildlife to people? What other factors influence the likelihood of spillover? An important key to understanding a disease’s origin, researchers say, is focusing on the opportunities for contact between people and the animal hosts of various pathogens. But once an outbreak has occurred, controlling disease spread may require work across several agencies (ministers of agriculture, health, environment, tourism) to quickly prepare diagnostic labs and inform public health outreach, guidance, and regulations.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/15vgpK7bargjNfGnDoAweW https://cassyni.com/events/N4Am61MRkQHsKWEyaYpL69/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/N4Am61MRkQHsKWEyaYpL69 https://cassyni.com/events/N4Am61MRkQHsKWEyaYpL69/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4sCo5RHTW3PzuTu7Mb9tqt https://cassyni.com/events/N4Am61MRkQHsKWEyaYpL69?videoPreview=1 Generation and characterization of scaled magnetic turbulence in the laboratorynohttps://cassyni.com/events/N4Am61MRkQHsKWEyaYpL69?videoPreview=12026-03-05T16:00:00+00:002752.2Journal of Plasma PhysicsI will present the characterization of magnetized turbulence generated in a laser-driven plasma. The work was performed at the VULCAN (U.K.) and LULI2000 laser facilities (France). Starting from an homogenous magnetized plasma, produced by having a high-strength pulsed magnetic field [1] embedded in a gas jet, we randomly perturbed it using a speckled laser beam [2]. Using proton radiography [3], we show quantitatively that the produced turbulence is intermittent and that its power distribution is akin that recorded in space [4,5,6]. We will also discuss of the applications for laboratory tests of astrophysical mechanisms involving turbulence, whether particle acceleration at high-velocity shock fronts [7], or transport of cosmic-rays through the interstellar medium [8]. [1] B. Albertazzi, et al., “Production of large volume, strongly magnetized laser-produced plasmas by use of pulsed external magnetic fields,” Review of Scientific Instruments, 84, 043505 (2013). [2] W. Yao, et al., “Triggering and probing electromagnetic stochasticity in a low-density magnetized plasma irradiated by a multi-speckled laser beam,” CLF Annual Report 2021-22, 2022. https://www.clf.stfc.ac.uk/Gallery/13%20-%20Yao_CLF%20AR%2021-22.pdf [3] D.B. Schaeffer, et al., “Proton imaging of high-energy-density laboratory plasmas,” Reviews of Modern Physics, v. 95(4), p. 045007 (2023). [4] L. Sorriso-Valvo et al., “Observation of Inertial Energy Cascade in Interplanetary Space Plasma”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 115001 (2007). [5] V. Carbone et al., “Scaling Laws of Turbulence and Heating of Fast Solar Wind: The Role of Density Fluctuations”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 061102 (2009). [6] O. Alexandrova et al., “Universality of Solar-Wind Turbulent Spectrum from MHD to Electron Scales”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 165003 (2009). [7] A. R. Bell, “Cosmic ray acceleration”, Astroparticle Physics 43, 56 (2013). [8] P. Kempski, E. Quataert, “Reconciling cosmic ray transport theory with phenomenological models motivated by Milky-Way data,” MNRAS , v. 514(1), p. 657–674 (2022).https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4sCo5RHTW3PzuTu7Mb9tqt https://cassyni.com/events/CBCgALQvyFDYTzEx4z3xxD/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/CBCgALQvyFDYTzEx4z3xxD https://cassyni.com/events/CBCgALQvyFDYTzEx4z3xxD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4eGyp8eWZT2suMHRbVALei https://cassyni.com/events/CBCgALQvyFDYTzEx4z3xxD?videoPreview=1 Real-time monitoring of water quality dynamics using low-cost sensor networks in Lagos lagoonnohttps://cassyni.com/events/CBCgALQvyFDYTzEx4z3xxD?videoPreview=12026-04-22T14:00:00+00:001671.44Cambridge PrismsAquatic ecosystem monitoring is important for supporting biodiversity and environmental stability, yet it faces increasing threats from pollution, climate change and human activities. This study presents the development and deployment of a low-cost multi-sensor data logging system for real-time monitoring of Lagos Lagoon. The system integrates temperature sensors, hydrophones, and imaging devices to collect environmental data. Results showed that temperature variations ranged from ~28.5 to 31.5 °C, with fluctuations influenced by partial and full submersion. Acoustic analysis revealed dominant frequencies below 500 Hz, indicative of biological and anthropogenic activity in the lagoon. Machine learning models trained on 31 species closely agreed with the environmental dataset despite some noticeable deviations, suggesting potential improvements through data augmentation and model refinement. Despite challenges such as signal attenuation in submerged conditions and image degradation due to water turbidity, the system successfully recorded and logged environmental parameters. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using artificial intelligence-powered, cost-effective sensor technology for continuous aquatic monitoring, with implications for biodiversity conservation and water resource management. Future research should focus on enhancing wireless communication, refining species detection algorithms and improving sensor resilience in harsh aquatic conditions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4eGyp8eWZT2suMHRbVALei https://cassyni.com/events/NYqzFKWqbDmh8yEVNewJGM/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/NYqzFKWqbDmh8yEVNewJGM https://cassyni.com/events/NYqzFKWqbDmh8yEVNewJGM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BQYN8cbjHwxEt9nKRNheJ2 https://cassyni.com/events/NYqzFKWqbDmh8yEVNewJGM?videoPreview=1 The Future of Women’s Health: Emerging Voices and Perspectivesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/NYqzFKWqbDmh8yEVNewJGM?videoPreview=12026-03-19T23:00:00+00:003597.28Women's HealthThis event is being run in awareness of International Women’s Day, with the purpose to highlight the importance of emerging voices in shaping women’s health research and policy.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BQYN8cbjHwxEt9nKRNheJ2 https://cassyni.com/events/2JYSVb9Bd4LDE2VBfWDnzH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XDUYe1acMnT4ngNQcQNu7U https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4mnTj1NopM6haxxkDC8RiD https://cassyni.com/events/4mnTj1NopM6haxxkDC8RiD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VQ7cB32yX1vUM524FFvxMt https://cassyni.com/events/4mnTj1NopM6haxxkDC8RiD?videoPreview=1 Patterns of Turbulencenohttps://cassyni.com/events/4mnTj1NopM6haxxkDC8RiD?videoPreview=12024-02-02T06:00:00+00:003430.04Leeds Institute for Fluid DynamicsExperiments and numerical simulations have shown that turbulence in transitional wall-bounded shear flows such as plane Couette and Poiseuille flow frequently takes the form of long oblique bands, if the domains are sufficiently large to accommodate them. At their upper Reynolds-number threshold, laminar regions carve out gaps in otherwise uniform turbulence, thereby forming regular oblique turbulent-laminar patterns with a large spatial wavelength. At the lower threshold, isolated turbulent bands sparsely populate otherwise laminar domains and complete laminarization takes place via their disappearance characterized by the 2D directed percolation scenario.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VQ7cB32yX1vUM524FFvxMt https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/TVdsy5eqQmVzCwmRypvrr9 https://cassyni.com/events/TVdsy5eqQmVzCwmRypvrr9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LXjA6iaxBFi5utBCEcD8te https://cassyni.com/events/TVdsy5eqQmVzCwmRypvrr9?videoPreview=1 S20: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Libraries, Readers, Researchers: What We Got Right, What We Got Wrong, and What’s Nextnohttps://cassyni.com/events/TVdsy5eqQmVzCwmRypvrr9?videoPreview=12026-02-25T11:40:00+00:003105.04Researcher to ReaderSubscribe to Open (S2O) is often framed as community-driven, yet implementation typically centres on libraries and revenue. For the American Physiological Society, a small nonprofit publisher, this work was completely new. Initial efforts focused on renewals and workflows, with the assumption that value would naturally extend to authors and readers. Feedback from editors, researchers, and indexers revealed confusion, pushing us to experiment with lightweight feedback tools and revised messaging. In this session, a publisher, consultant, researcher and a community engagement expert share lessons learned for resource-constrained societies and thoughts on measuring impact beyond revenuehttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/LXjA6iaxBFi5utBCEcD8te https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/3HsGhax7uLN63G1b43dZRo https://cassyni.com/events/3HsGhax7uLN63G1b43dZRo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UWXCXodaC7S5H4HFuiKsUS https://cassyni.com/events/3HsGhax7uLN63G1b43dZRo?videoPreview=1 Why do elections matter? Lessons from 80 years of the "Nuffield" studiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/3HsGhax7uLN63G1b43dZRo?videoPreview=12024-11-06T09:00:00+00:004214.16Palgrave MacmillanThis analysis draws on 80 years of the British General Election Studies, a continuous series documenting every UK general election since 1945, to explore why elections matter and what they reveal about democratic societies. Elections serve as critical moments for understanding voter choices, government accountability, political participation, societal divisions, and collective political aspirations. The long-term perspective highlights enduring patterns: economic performance remains the primary determinant of electoral outcomes, with governments typically losing power following economic crises unless leadership changes occur. Campaign strategies consistently revolve around themes of change versus stability, with opposition parties emphasizing renewal and incumbents advocating continuity. Leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping party image and voter perceptions, though popular approval ratings for leaders have generally been low since 1979. The composition of the House of Commons has evolved significantly, with marked increases in gender and ethnic diversity, yet persistent elitism remains evident in educational and occupational backgrounds. Class, once a strong predictor of voting behavior, has largely diminished as a dividing line between major parties, supplanted by factors such as age and education, while voter turnout has declined, especially among working-class and less-educated groups. Voters’ issue priorities—economy, public services, and security—often reflect contradictory and poorly informed views. Despite rising support for smaller parties, the electoral system continues to favor major parties, resulting in disproportional representation. Overall, elections illuminate both continuity and change in democratic politics, revealing persistent challenges of political trust, representation, and engagement amid evolving social and technological contexts.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UWXCXodaC7S5H4HFuiKsUS https://cassyni.com/events/M5EeUpku7BE5CpXbKbNd9w/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5W7EJFWvcqcpXVrcE9A3Jv https://cassyni.com/events/WTZ8Mp3sSskM4ZzjEirC2Z/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FNVHmHQF7DCwTLSyVHnjjk https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/WxCjQVhPtLJQ4LXcqA8zHs https://cassyni.com/events/WxCjQVhPtLJQ4LXcqA8zHs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AkNy5MfcsBWXjH6BXSMLiz https://cassyni.com/events/WxCjQVhPtLJQ4LXcqA8zHs?videoPreview=1 Second stability region for gyrokinetics and the L-H transitionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/WxCjQVhPtLJQ4LXcqA8zHs?videoPreview=12026-05-21T15:00:00+00:001977.48Journal of Plasma PhysicsDespite enormous progress in modelling and simulating the L-H transition, no broad consensus has emerged on the underlying physical mechanism — which is perhaps surprising given how robustly this phenomenon is attained in tokamak experiments. We speculate that this is partly because many such simulations are performed with a fixed magnetic field. In an actual tokamak plasma, the equilibrium magnetic field responds to changes in the pressure gradient: as the latter grows, the Shafranov shift increases and the local magnetic shear on the outboard side of the torus tends to decrease — a circumstance instrumental to the establishment of the 'second stability region' for MHD-ballooning modes (Lortz & Nührenberg 1978). Furthermore, an increased pressure gradient drives more bootstrap current, which also modifies the magnetic field and tends to reduce the global magnetic shear in the H-mode pedestal. Using the well-known s-α model for the magnetic geometry (Connor et al. 1978), we show that a second-stability region exists for linear gyrokinetics as well, accessed when the collisionality is sufficiently small and α⪆1. Electrostatic simulations of more realistic L- and H-mode geometries demonstrate that the combined action of the Shafranov shift and bootstrap current is sufficient to reduce transport levels by well over an order of magnitude. We also calculate the transport along a path connecting the L- and H-mode equilibria, finding non-monotonic behaviour as a function of the pressure gradient — mirroring results obtained on DIII-D for an internal transport barrier (McClenaghan et al. 2019). We suggest that a transport simulation in which the magnetic geometry is evolved self-consistently with the plasma profiles should exhibit a bifurcation as the heating power is increased.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AkNy5MfcsBWXjH6BXSMLiz https://cassyni.com/events/ACdt6ELicmvsvWkuKQGJQV/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/ACdt6ELicmvsvWkuKQGJQV https://cassyni.com/events/ACdt6ELicmvsvWkuKQGJQV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/55wFAybPydnEMDziSeva9t https://cassyni.com/events/ACdt6ELicmvsvWkuKQGJQV?videoPreview=1 Selective Atmospheric Plasma Treatment - A Fabrication Tool for Soft Functional Structures (and Metamaterials?)nohttps://cassyni.com/events/ACdt6ELicmvsvWkuKQGJQV?videoPreview=12026-06-16T13:00:00+00:003070.04MetaMATMany meta-materials rely upon the complex arrangement of functional materials at the microscale to realise their purpose. As we strive for the next-generation of materials, we are bottle-necked by the capabilities of current manufacturing processes to create the structures from the required materials, at the required scale, and with the required geometric complexity. These shortcomings are particularly pronounced concerning soft materials. Within this talk, an emerging manufacturing technology is presented, the micro atmospheric plasma jet, and its application in creating complex, high detail soft mechanical structures incorporating conductive and magnetic materials. These capabilities are demonstrated through the manufacture of soft actuators, sensors and heaters. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/55wFAybPydnEMDziSeva9t https://cassyni.com/events/8iih4ov2hmBweGUBkYXLA9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9mXkHMVy1wCwbGUt7UP2dt https://cassyni.com/events/BBxiJE9eu3xkjkHJhwg4r1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RhiwmdwG76fQePrtqyVBTt https://cassyni.com/events/Tz2sz6fPDyibErZ9qMZ8zR/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Tz2sz6fPDyibErZ9qMZ8zR https://cassyni.com/events/Tz2sz6fPDyibErZ9qMZ8zR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Q6xHXAdturRHA2kboJRVzv https://cassyni.com/events/Tz2sz6fPDyibErZ9qMZ8zR?videoPreview=1 Biomaterials Inks nohttps://cassyni.com/events/Tz2sz6fPDyibErZ9qMZ8zR?videoPreview=12026-05-20T13:30:00+00:004357.08Advanced NanoBiomed Research JournalThis webinar highlights collaborative advances in advanced biomanufacturing, focusing on the designs and applications of biomaterial inks. Prof. Y. Shrike Zhang and Prof. Khoon S. Lim will provide an insight into their most recent work in the realm of Biomaterial Inks.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Q6xHXAdturRHA2kboJRVzv https://cassyni.com/events/7EoW3PVLnkTL6s6sZEdo6u/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7EoW3PVLnkTL6s6sZEdo6u https://cassyni.com/events/7EoW3PVLnkTL6s6sZEdo6u/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rq8gFbVY4KpS4yDyuYeyRQ https://cassyni.com/events/7EoW3PVLnkTL6s6sZEdo6u?videoPreview=1 Routes towards an effective AI in CFD: an epistemological and technical perspectivenohttps://cassyni.com/events/7EoW3PVLnkTL6s6sZEdo6u?videoPreview=12026-06-04T15:00:00+00:003672.76Journal of Fluid MechanicsDeep learning is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool for surrogate modeling and control in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Conceptually, these data-driven approaches are reshaping scientific practice, reviving the longstanding debate between data-driven and equation-based modeling. A central question is whether, and how, such methods can challenge or complement traditional CFD, which relies on well-established mathematical formulations. In this seminar, I will first outline the key principles that underpin effective and reliable scientific modeling. I will then discuss how modern AI techniques can be designed to incorporate these principles and achieve practical effectiveness. In particular, I will highlight the role of implicit neural representations (INR) and uncertainty quantification (UQ) as critical components for robust and accurate surrogate modeling in fluid mechanics.”.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rq8gFbVY4KpS4yDyuYeyRQ https://cassyni.com/events/4GwVsv85ZN4WtdnphgNokH/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4GwVsv85ZN4WtdnphgNokH https://cassyni.com/events/4GwVsv85ZN4WtdnphgNokH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/K2XMHdLiKYM5EQus3c7ENi https://cassyni.com/events/4GwVsv85ZN4WtdnphgNokH?videoPreview=1 Identifying Research-Performance Peers: A Statistical Approach for Higher-Education Institutions nohttps://cassyni.com/events/4GwVsv85ZN4WtdnphgNokH?videoPreview=12026-08-06T16:00:00+00:003430.72Research Evaluation and Analytics Capacity HubThis session presents a statistical methodology for identifying research-performance peer institutions among R1 universities, with application to The University of Texas - San Antonio. More broadly, it demonstrates a transparent and replicable framework that other institutions and policymakers can adapt to their own peer identification needs by modifying the inclusion criteria and indicators set. The approach uses K-means clustering—a machine learning algorithm that partitions institutions into groups with high within-cluster similarity and high dissimilarity between groups—to segment institutions into homogeneous peer groups based on research capacity and activity profiles. The analysis population for this study comprises 187 R1 institutions (2025 Carnegie Classification) with three years of data (FY2021–2023), spanning twenty-six research, research quality, and institutional capacity variables, including R&D expenditures, research space, patents, citations, publications, faculty counts, research personnel, and doctoral degree production. The methodology uses a two-stage approach. First, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is implemented to reduce the dimensionality of the data by combining the twenty-six correlated research variables into a smaller set of independent summary measures. This preserves the most important patterns that distinguish institutions while reducing data complexity. The optimal number of principal components is determined based on cumulative variance explained. In the second stage, K-means clustering partitions institutions into comparable peer groups based on their research profiles. The algorithm iteratively assigns each institution to the nearest group and refines group boundaries until institutions within each group are maximally similar to each other and maximally different from other groups. Cluster quality is validated using silhouette analysis and within-cluster sum-of-squares diagnostics to determine the optimal cluster structure. The results from this analysis converge with peer groups identified by the leadership’s subject matter expertise. The results have practical application in supporting evidence-based decision-making regarding research capacity benchmarking, collaboration targeting, and strategic positioning. Prerequisites: Familiarity with statistics will be helpful, but presenters will try to break down concepts as much as possible. Outcomes: Attendees will understand the statistical rationale for peer selection, practical application of PCA and K-means clustering, and validation approaches. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/K2XMHdLiKYM5EQus3c7ENi https://cassyni.com/events/EeZBrGi6mygwR95xinKhRo/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EeZBrGi6mygwR95xinKhRo https://cassyni.com/events/EeZBrGi6mygwR95xinKhRo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BPr1QXW7YaA3eW8hnxJPft https://cassyni.com/events/EeZBrGi6mygwR95xinKhRo?videoPreview=1 ECR Challenges and Opportunitiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EeZBrGi6mygwR95xinKhRo?videoPreview=12026-07-23T08:30:00+00:004038.36Advanced NanoBiomed Research JournalEarly career researchers face significant challenges in establishing independent academic careers, particularly in securing faculty positions and initial funding. This seminar provided insights into navigating these transitions and opportunities. Professor Andrew Daly detailed his career progression from mechanical engineering, through a PhD in bioprinting for joint regeneration, to a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on embedded printing and spheroid-based biofabrication for cardiovascular applications, including myocardial infarction models. As a faculty member, his research now involves 4D bioprinting for shape-morphing tissues and AI-powered bioprinting, supported by an ERC Starting Grant awarded in 2022. Key strategies include cultivating a distinct research identity, intensive literature engagement, international networking, and proactive grant writing, emphasizing bold, non-iterative ideas. Dr. Chengchen Zhang described her approach to combating antimicrobial resistance through materials engineering, pharmaceutical science, and computational methods. Her work includes developing catalytic gallium-based antimicrobials, microfluidic infection-on-chip models, and rapid biosensors. A central discovery involved liquid gallium exhibiting nuclease-mimicking activity. Challenges in the UK academic system, such as limited start-up funding, necessitate early, diversified funding applications, including small internal grants and industrial partnerships. Her successful EPSRC New Investigator Award application underscored the importance of a clear, focused research vision, robust preliminary data, demonstrated PI independence, and strong institutional support. Both speakers highlighted the critical role of strategic research development, persistent funding pursuit, and active mentorship in fostering successful independent research trajectories for ECRs.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BPr1QXW7YaA3eW8hnxJPft https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/8EBaUeL3skLkZVYXM7huND https://cassyni.com/events/8EBaUeL3skLkZVYXM7huND/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B4HhTuPmuACngW5g7DUT7c https://cassyni.com/events/3HhY1oroVAojAPqBLdzue5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4Uf535pq5fgxhJEBX9hDGA https://cassyni.com/events/L6DfXkciFsPBzY5m7TgPS5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MBQsL7E8RJULLjxawp6n5k https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9hw2pHfRNbXHHMJmKdKAKP https://cassyni.com/events/9hw2pHfRNbXHHMJmKdKAKP/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EAZuAadekZ4w4gNoS8Xahk https://cassyni.com/events/9hw2pHfRNbXHHMJmKdKAKP?videoPreview=1 Session 1B: Large Scale Electrolysersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/9hw2pHfRNbXHHMJmKdKAKP?videoPreview=12025-10-21T06:00:00+00:005520.2Centre for Energy TechnologyThis seminar session on large-scale electrolysers addressed advancements and challenges in renewable power-to-hydrogen technologies, focusing on alkaline, anion exchange membrane (AEM), and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis systems. PERIC Hydrogen and Dimer Technologies highlighted alkaline electrolysers’ maturity, with manufacturing capacities reaching 3.5 GW annually and single stacks up to 15 MW (3,000 Nm³/h H₂). Emphasis was placed on optimizing energy consumption—targeting theoretical minimums near 2.9 kWh/Nm³—and enhancing system flexibility to accommodate variable renewable power inputs. Enapter presented AEM technology as a modular, scalable alternative combining alkaline’s low-cost materials with PEM’s dynamic response, featuring stacks up to 2.5 MW and software-enabled energy management systems that optimize hydrogen output and operational resilience. The modular design allows operation from 1% to full load, improving efficiency by 30–50% in certain conditions. Siemens Energy shared insights from PEM electrolyser deployment, underscoring the importance of safety, manufacturing excellence, and system-level integration. Their atmospheric PEM stacks operate at minimum loads around 30%, with inherent safety features such as natural convection cooling and low-pressure operation. The session also discussed techno-economic aspects, noting current alkaline stack costs around US$300–350/kW and PEM at US$1,200–1,800/kW, with projected cost reductions of 20–30% in coming years. Challenges in grid integration, including fault ride-through and load ramping, were addressed, emphasizing the need for flexible, modular systems and hybrid approaches combining technologies to optimize performance and cost. The collective findings indicate that diverse electrolyser technologies, supported by advanced control software and modular designs, are progressing toward scalable, efficient, and economically viable green hydrogen production aligned with expanding renewable energy deployment.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EAZuAadekZ4w4gNoS8Xahk https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/QXQnKRb3wh4MgSiY8Eixp5 https://cassyni.com/events/QXQnKRb3wh4MgSiY8Eixp5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CCvhoqL7rnKJUdY8CARcnJ https://cassyni.com/events/QXQnKRb3wh4MgSiY8Eixp5?videoPreview=1 Auxetic Metamaterials based on Euclidean Polygonal Tessellations and 3D Crystal Structuresnohttps://cassyni.com/events/QXQnKRb3wh4MgSiY8Eixp5?videoPreview=12026-03-05T14:00:00+00:002392.92UK Metamaterials NetworkIn this presentation, an overview of the recent work carried out by our group on the design of auxetic metamaterials is provided. Euclidean polygonal tessellations (which include Archimedean and Laves tilings) are a class of 2D systems which can be used as base topologies for the design of metamaterials systems. These tessellations can be altered through geometric transformations which allow them to exhibit an extremely wide range of mechanical properties, including auxeticity, whilst at the same time retaining their original rotational symmetry characteristics, and, hence, any derived accompanying properties such as transverse isotropy. In our work, we have attempted to characterise the spectrum of mechanical properties afforded by these systems and discover the mathematical limits which govern their realisability. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CCvhoqL7rnKJUdY8CARcnJ https://cassyni.com/events/Xw8r1gHvXZNCB2F167ahE5/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/WoaMf5oFoxAHV2Qx8HbtoQ https://cassyni.com/events/2JEbEfUSC69DcUEvZRHbpH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NkqoHRp4S5e8ht2h4ZpDrW https://cassyni.com/events/P3VbJ1AN2gKk8jmNy6E6Xf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9UQfE5zAahoxW5K1gRQrFQ https://cassyni.com/events/HcMwnV3bCeEfjsX9NBEJYD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/46KuHACQbRB2xM5o5psLrS https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Vxa3waDiB65XdYkxLXo2gM https://cassyni.com/events/Vxa3waDiB65XdYkxLXo2gM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SbYDi6VH2Me3VCMwLBnaTG https://cassyni.com/events/Vxa3waDiB65XdYkxLXo2gM?videoPreview=1 G2 - Panel: Operationalizing Data Governancenohttps://cassyni.com/events/Vxa3waDiB65XdYkxLXo2gM?videoPreview=12026-04-21T10:15:00+00:002608.44Research Analytics SummitChair: Kevin Hanson - This panel brings together leaders across institutions to discuss how data governance is being operationalized in research analytics environments. Learn what is working, what remains challenging, and how governance maturity supports emerging capabilities such as AI, advanced analytics, and data sharing.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/SbYDi6VH2Me3VCMwLBnaTG https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/8E3TuVkcrwi7poUfxSQMyw https://cassyni.com/events/8E3TuVkcrwi7poUfxSQMyw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KJSc7vDAczT13TMUzSuzaJ https://cassyni.com/events/8E3TuVkcrwi7poUfxSQMyw?videoPreview=1 Being Human Speakers: What do the humanities mean to you?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/8E3TuVkcrwi7poUfxSQMyw?videoPreview=12018-10-05T06:00:00+00:0093.64NoneIn 2017 we teamed up with Being Human, a national festival dedicated to demonstrating the breadth, diversity and vitality of the humanities, led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. We hosted a lively panel discussion which examined the evolution of gay, lesbian and queer representation across history, literature and media. Our panellists delved into what it has meant to be a ‘lost’, marginalised and even criminalised voice, and examined to what degree historically marginalised voices have been ‘found’ since this momentous Act of Parliament was passed.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KJSc7vDAczT13TMUzSuzaJ https://cassyni.com/events/3HZRSfHNUNB6RhmKwxhNFo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JX9HThJZdKPb5bufELXjhg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/PYApTKKmsVoZxCktmCM4hs https://cassyni.com/events/PYApTKKmsVoZxCktmCM4hs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/52zsAsVLgkWvzQHunPVg6a https://cassyni.com/events/PYApTKKmsVoZxCktmCM4hs?videoPreview=1 Kidney Talks - What Primary Care needs to know about dialysis and transplantnohttps://cassyni.com/events/PYApTKKmsVoZxCktmCM4hs?videoPreview=12026-08-13T12:00:00+00:002177.8Education for Primary Care Health Care ProfessionalsEnd-stage renal failure (ESRF) presents a complex, albeit rare, challenge in primary care, with higher prevalence observed in specific ethnic groups and socioeconomically deprived populations. Patients undergoing kidney replacement therapy (KRT), including dialysis and transplantation, experience significantly elevated mortality rates, with overall mortality 6.5 times greater than the age-matched general population and an 18-fold increase for individuals aged 40-44 years. Remaining life expectancy is also 68–71% shorter. While transplantation substantially improves survival, it does not normalize life expectancy, underscoring the necessity of ongoing, integrated care. This presentation outlines eight critical areas where primary care can improve KRT patient outcomes. Key recommendations include proactive cardiovascular risk management (e.g., dose-adjusted apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily for atrial fibrillation on dialysis not awaiting transplant) and meticulous attention to safe prescribing, particularly avoiding independent alterations to immunosuppressants like tacrolimus or ciclosporin due to significant drug interactions (e.g., via CYP3A4 pathways). Prompt assessment of fever and rigors in dialysis patients, presuming bacteraemia, is crucial for infection control, alongside comprehensive vaccination schedules (influenza, COVID, pneumococcal, inactivated shingles, HPV), with live vaccines strictly contraindicated in transplant recipients. Vigilance for skin lesions and other cancers post-transplantation is paramount, as squamous cell carcinoma mortality is nine times higher on immunosuppression. Active management of post-transplant diabetes, affecting 10-20% of recipients and increasing all-cause mortality by 70%, is also vital. Furthermore, primary care plays a critical role in protecting vascular access for dialysis and ensuring immediate investigation of any rise in transplant creatinine above baseline, which indicates potential acute kidney injury. This collaborative approach enhances holistic patient care and reduces preventable morbidity and mortality.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/52zsAsVLgkWvzQHunPVg6a https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/3nEebySnKBevFAkqk4pLS1 https://cassyni.com/events/3nEebySnKBevFAkqk4pLS1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Cn3ufxYEA56dyGMNc668G6 https://cassyni.com/events/3nEebySnKBevFAkqk4pLS1?videoPreview=1 Some discussions on the optimal risk sharing problemsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/3nEebySnKBevFAkqk4pLS1?videoPreview=12026-04-27T01:00:00+00:002664.0Risk SciencesProf. Zhibing Liang's research interests mainly lie in Stochastic Processes and its Application on Insurance and Finance; Stochastic Optimal Risk Control; Mathematical Finance and Actuarial Sciences. This speech record is an excerpt from Professor Liang's keynote speech for the Risk Sciences Colloquium – [2025 International Workshop on Risk Sharing (IWRS)](https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/risk-sciences/event/2025-international-workshop-on-risk-sharing-iwrs/) , which was held on July 6-7, 2025, in Beijing, China. [Risk sciences](https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/risk-sciences/) aims to foster diverse, multidisciplinary insights in risk sciences, bridging theory and practice through a series of academic activities. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Cn3ufxYEA56dyGMNc668G6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6k9tzhqpMHuH76ZyxoLzqb https://cassyni.com/events/6k9tzhqpMHuH76ZyxoLzqb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UYK9MwRMfK9vzxvFi755ie https://cassyni.com/events/6k9tzhqpMHuH76ZyxoLzqb?videoPreview=1 From Lab to Landscape: Environmental Biohybrid Robotics for Ecological Futuresnohttps://cassyni.com/events/6k9tzhqpMHuH76ZyxoLzqb?videoPreview=12026-05-19T12:00:00+00:00418.64Advanced Robotics Research JournalBiohybrid robots merge living cells with synthetic systems, promising to enable sensing, movement, and adaptation beyond the reach of conventional machines. By integrating natural living components, they offer a transformative vision for ecological robotics, capable of interacting with and contributing to natural environments. Yet, most existing biohybrids remain confined to laboratories and controlled culture systems, limiting their potential for real-world applications. Extending their reach to such scenarios requires embedding physiological, protective, and informational capacities to sustain survival in dynamic habitats. This perspective proposes viewing biohybrid robots not as isolated machines, but as ecological participants whose function emerges from exchanges with their surroundings. However, embracing a creative vision of ecological biohybrid robots means acknowledging both its promise and the formidable steps required to turn it into reality. Thus, key challenges for deploying diverse classes of biohybrids in natural settings are described, considering environmental variability, mobility constraints, and physiological fragility. New conceptual and technological directions are suggested to inspire the field, encouraging researchers to design biohybrids that are not only operationally robust but also ecologically integrated and participatory. Ultimately, the future of biohybrid robotics lies in machines that are not just tools, but active partners in sustaining life on our planet.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/UYK9MwRMfK9vzxvFi755ie https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/ofrXsNZxiNFhzrdxKe17T https://cassyni.com/events/ofrXsNZxiNFhzrdxKe17T/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EQ17WtAgKryqTShdeRt1EN https://cassyni.com/events/ofrXsNZxiNFhzrdxKe17T?videoPreview=1 Soft Deformable Energy and Bioelectronic Devices: From Self-Powered Wearables to Therapeutic Interfacesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/ofrXsNZxiNFhzrdxKe17T?videoPreview=12026-06-18T11:00:00+00:001438.36Advanced Physics Research JournalThe future of healthcare electronics demands materials that can operate reliably on soft, curved, dynamic, and biologically active human tissues. However, many existing wearable devices still depend on rigid components, external power sources, and passive sensing configurations, which limit their long-term comfort, mechanical compatibility, and autonomous operation. In this talk, I will present our research vision on soft deformable energy and bioelectronic devices for developing self-powered healthcare technologies that can sense, harvest energy, and interact with the human body. Our work focuses on the design of functional polymeric, fibrous, textile-based, and hybrid nanomaterial architectures that convert biomechanical, interfacial, thermal, and fluidic stimuli into useful electrical signals. By integrating within stretchable, breathable, and skin-conformal material platforms, we aim to create wearable systems that can operate under continuous body motion and complex physiological environments. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of material architecture, interfacial polarization, ion transport, mechanical compliance, and microenvironment regulation in enabling reliable electromechanical performance. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EQ17WtAgKryqTShdeRt1EN https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Gd7yvNnK8Sybxca1UN7MyX https://cassyni.com/events/Gd7yvNnK8Sybxca1UN7MyX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5Aweh64buRdFNCPx7Kaf7c https://cassyni.com/events/Gd7yvNnK8Sybxca1UN7MyX?videoPreview=1 Science Advocacy in Action: From Birds to Boroughsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Gd7yvNnK8Sybxca1UN7MyX?videoPreview=12025-03-28T06:00:00+00:00533.04Journal of VirologyWhy does bird flu research matter to you, your family, and your community? The Journal of Virology Seminar Series highlights science advocacy in its latest webinar, "From Birds to Boroughs: Detection of Clade 2.3.4.4b Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus in NYC." Scientists and student researchers discuss the real-world impact of avian influenza research and the importance of clear science communication in public health. Learn how community-based research, messaging, and youth involvement are shaping responses to outbreaks and empowering public health solutions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5Aweh64buRdFNCPx7Kaf7c https://cassyni.com/events/9DPvE85SYag6CaP6vCVjXT/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9DPvE85SYag6CaP6vCVjXT https://cassyni.com/events/9DPvE85SYag6CaP6vCVjXT/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/56aZ4p1Awz6Rv9XEyY6qyx https://cassyni.com/events/9DPvE85SYag6CaP6vCVjXT?videoPreview=1 Love It or Hate It: Supporting the palm oil industry to turn palm oil empty fruit bunch into sustainable materialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/9DPvE85SYag6CaP6vCVjXT?videoPreview=12026-06-17T09:55:00+00:001302.72NoneThe palm oil industry generates substantial empty fruit bunch (EFB) waste, often discarded through environmentally harmful rotting or burning. This study investigates the conversion of EFB waste into sustainable, bio-based materials, aiming to mitigate environmental impact and provide alternatives to conventional products. Two distinct material platforms were developed. Rigid fiberboards were produced by combining EFB fibers with 20-30% refined cellulose pulp, followed by dewatering and pressing. These achieved a tensile modulus of 3 GPa and a strength of 22 MPa, comparable to medium-density fiberboard (MDF), crucially without synthetic polymer additives like phenol-formaldehyde. The materials demonstrated formability and a lower global warming potential than MDF in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), with environmental benefits varying with the local energy grid. Porous constructs were fabricated by blending EFB with 5-10 wt% cellulose pulp, nanofibrillated cellulose, or bacterial cellulose and dewatering without pressing. These achieved approximately 90% porosity, a density of 90 kg m⁻³, a compressive modulus up to 1.5 MPa, and strength of 0.12 MPa, comparable to polyurethane foams. They exhibited effective high-frequency sound absorption and a thermal conductivity of approximately 0.04 W/mK. Their LCA indicated a negative global warming potential, reflecting biogenic carbon uptake and waste valorization. This work highlights the potential of EFB-derived materials as sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable solutions for rigid panels and porous packaging/insulation, contributing to natural carbon capture and storage.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/56aZ4p1Awz6Rv9XEyY6qyx https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BgdwTYK4jsSaZWrfTtQNFP https://cassyni.com/events/BgdwTYK4jsSaZWrfTtQNFP/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QkFCjsR1mAGeEdCUmYyGvJ https://cassyni.com/events/BgdwTYK4jsSaZWrfTtQNFP?videoPreview=1 Phase-Selective Engineering of Mixed-Phase TiO₂ for Efficient Solar Photocatalysisnohttps://cassyni.com/events/BgdwTYK4jsSaZWrfTtQNFP?videoPreview=12026-09-22T00:05:00+00:002818.52The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and NanotechnologyTitanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most widely studied semiconductor photocatalysts because of its abundance, chemical stability and suitable electronic properties. However, its limited visible-light response and rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers remain major barriers to efficient solar-energy conversion. These limitations have motivated the development of strategies based on defect engineering, heterojunction formation and surface modification. Mixed-phase TiO₂, containing both anatase and rutile, provides an interesting platform because the individual phases can be selectively modified rather than treating the material as a single homogeneous semiconductor. At the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics (CINAP), Institute for Basic Science, we explored phase-selective engineering of mixed-phase TiO₂ as a strategy to control electronic structure, interfacial charge transfer and surface active sites.[1, 2] I will discuss how selective disordering of individual TiO₂ phases can restructure band alignment, enhance visible-light absorption and improve charge separation for photocatalytic hydrogen generation.[2] I will also show how phase-selective defect engineering can create preferential active sites for nitrogen activation and photocatalytic ammonia synthesis.[3] Finally, I will present our work on phase-selective anchoring of an organic polymer onto the anatase component of mixed-phase TiO₂, producing a three-phase polymer/anatase/rutile heterojunction with improved charge-transfer behaviour and photocatalytic activity.[4] Together, these studies demonstrate how selective control of individual phases, interfaces and active sites within a mixed-phase semiconductor can provide a versatile strategy for designing more efficient photocatalysts for solar fuel and chemical production. References 1. K. Zhang et al., An order/disorder/water junction system for highly efficient co-catalyst-free photocatalytic hydrogen generation, Energy & Environmental Science 9 (2016) 499–503. 2. S. Oh et al., Band restructuring of ordered/disordered blue TiO₂ for visible light photocatalysis, Journal of Materials Chemistry A 9 (2021) 4822–4830. 3. J. Lee et al., Phase-selective active sites on ordered/disordered titanium dioxide enable exceptional photocatalytic ammonia synthesis, Chemical Science 12 (2021) 9619–9629. 4. A. R. Jadhav et al., Unveiling a Three Phase Mixed Heterojunction via Phase-Selective Anchoring of Polymer for Efficient Photocatalysis, Advanced Energy Materials 12 (2022) 2102116. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QkFCjsR1mAGeEdCUmYyGvJ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Jbk2DjtJHe86CoYe7tuk2h https://cassyni.com/events/Jbk2DjtJHe86CoYe7tuk2h/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/V1Jyps4a77aKvVR8uEcZev https://cassyni.com/events/Jbk2DjtJHe86CoYe7tuk2h?videoPreview=1 Fully Humanized Bispecific T Cell Engager Shows Potent Activity in Central Nervous System and Peripheral Tumorsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Jbk2DjtJHe86CoYe7tuk2h?videoPreview=12026-07-13T03:00:00+00:00279.24Advanced ScienceBispecific T cell engagers (BTEs) induce MHC-independent cytotoxicity by bridging T cells to tumor cells via binding a T cell–activating receptor and a tumor-associated antigen. BTEs have proven effective in hematologic malignancies and some solid tumors, yet their potential in glioblastoma (GBM) is largely unexplored. We developed a fully humanized BTE (hBTE) targeting interleukin-13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13RA2), a tumor-associated antigen widely expressed in GBM and associated with poor prognosis. In vitro, hBTE activated T cells and induced antigen-dependent cytokine release and cytotoxicity against IL13RA2-positive GBM cells. In vivo, hBTE showed robust target-specific activity and markedly prolonged survival in primary and recurrent GBM xenograft models, without detectable off-target local or systemic toxicity. Beyond GBM, hBTE also exhibited antitumor activity in IL13RA2-expressing solid tumors, demonstrating selective tumor accumulation and therapeutic efficacy in models of breast cancer brain metastases and extracranial lung cancer. This work highlights the therapeutic potential of BTEs in IL13RA2-expressing tumors and establishes a strong preclinical rationale for advancing hBTE therapy toward clinical translation in GBM and other tumors.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/V1Jyps4a77aKvVR8uEcZev https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/S1U5uzbAsWRvhP575mmUSh https://cassyni.com/events/S1U5uzbAsWRvhP575mmUSh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3EtzRVBDVY9LLfeYMQNZan https://cassyni.com/events/S1U5uzbAsWRvhP575mmUSh?videoPreview=1 Achieving sustainable crop productivity in a hotter worldnohttps://cassyni.com/events/S1U5uzbAsWRvhP575mmUSh?videoPreview=12026-06-04T12:00:00+00:001949.32Agricultural crops increasingly experience unpredictable weather extremes during their growth cycle that threaten their productivity, including increased intensity, duration, and frequency of heatwaves. Rubisco catalyses the first step in the conversion of carbon from CO2 into plant biomass: the carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP). The enzyme is characterized by several inefficiencies and crop plants can allocate more than 50% of their leaf protein content to Rubisco to maintain adequate photosynthetic capacity to support plant growth and development. Despite this high abundance, Rubisco activity frequently limits carbon assimilation at the top of crop canopies. Under heat stress, plants produce greater amounts of Rubisco inhibitors and Rubisco activase—the catalytic chaperone that removes those inhibitors from Rubisco catalytic sites—becomes impaired and unable to maintain Rubisco in its active form. This talk will discuss diversity in Rubisco activase within and across species and approaches to make the catalytic chaperone more thermotolerant to maintain crop productivity in increasingly hot environments.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3EtzRVBDVY9LLfeYMQNZan https://cassyni.com/events/5GEhyHR8SHAfZPcpoer8ZB/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/U6GMRxtBzJK4YpAJ2TZE8v https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7jUjChekdZw9vL6PMLkmH7 https://cassyni.com/events/7jUjChekdZw9vL6PMLkmH7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Mku1gFsax8HniTxFXHAir https://cassyni.com/events/7jUjChekdZw9vL6PMLkmH7?videoPreview=1 Impedance Spectroscopy of Bifurcation Oscillations in S-Type Self-Oscillatory Devicesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/7jUjChekdZw9vL6PMLkmH7?videoPreview=12026-09-09T09:00:00+00:003434.04Advanced Physics Research JournalSelf-sustained oscillations are attracting growing interest as a foundation for real-time physical computing, where devices process information through their own nonlinear dynamics rather than through conventional digital operations. Features such as phase, frequency, synchronization, and entrainment can be exploited for emerging tasks including optimization, pattern classification, and temporal inference. However, predicting and controlling when oscillations appear in material-based electronic devices remains a central challenge. In this talk, I will discuss how impedance spectroscopy can be used not only to identify negative differential resistance and hidden dynamical instabilities, but also to uncover the physical mechanisms that drive oscillatory behavior. We combine theoretical and experimental analysis to detect signatures of bifurcations, self-oscillations, synchronization, entrainment, and divergent responses. This work provides a practical route to understand and design nonlinear devices for neuromorphic and unconventional computinghttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Mku1gFsax8HniTxFXHAir https://cassyni.com/events/9i59PSErPQ9v23NciJchhf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GHkmimHdXRxyVfHzQSsmwt https://cassyni.com/events/CBLnjUzMz3rBCgJoTfMWLV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NaTq5ny5t4x8X4NcoUBwtz https://cassyni.com/events/P3dhs9jo3UxNsRqEMmXduw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/VZ33Es4kyR3pLvwiyGKJhk https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VxiAWio9BtiANEpojD6a4d https://cassyni.com/events/VxiAWio9BtiANEpojD6a4d/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JhcSkgTDLb9QsuCtKu2DmG https://cassyni.com/events/VxiAWio9BtiANEpojD6a4d?videoPreview=1 Can Oxide Quantronics?nohttps://cassyni.com/events/VxiAWio9BtiANEpojD6a4d?videoPreview=12026-08-20T11:00:00+00:003885.32Advanced Physics Research JournalAs the frontiers of modern electronics steadily converge with the enigmatic realm of quantum phenomena, oxide thin films have emerged as a compelling platform for the next technological revolution—quantronics. By exquisitely engineering interfaces, defects, and spin–charge interactions at the atomic scale, these versatile materials offer unprecedented opportunities to manipulate quantum states with remarkable precision. Prof. Suvankar Chakraverty's research explores this fascinating interplay between structure and functionality, uncovering novel quantum transport, spintronic, and interfacial phenomena that could redefine future information technologies. The work aspires not merely to advance materials science, but to illuminate pathways towards energy-efficient, quantum-enabled electronic devices of tomorrow.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/JhcSkgTDLb9QsuCtKu2DmG https://cassyni.com/events/Latth4n86gs1p15GuZoMcH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NxkzfiqNCWnsxrcAsTPwJW https://cassyni.com/events/BiBBkAeotiPYduFeuzHzZj/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BiBBkAeotiPYduFeuzHzZj https://cassyni.com/events/BiBBkAeotiPYduFeuzHzZj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Lw8Bba8yzuo3AcXmREHdQA https://cassyni.com/events/BiBBkAeotiPYduFeuzHzZj?videoPreview=1 Marine Forests in the Anthropocenenohttps://cassyni.com/events/BiBBkAeotiPYduFeuzHzZj?videoPreview=12024-10-30T16:30:00+00:003575.04Springer Nature Sustainable Development Goals ProgrammeHuman activities, combined with global changes, are placing immense and unsustainable pressures on marine ecosystems, particularly coastal and deep-sea environments. These changes, though complex and gradual, are often perceived as adaptations to social and economic needs rather than as significant disruptions. Marine Animal Forests (MAFs), which are large, diverse, three-dimensional structures in the ocean, play a vital role in maintaining marine biodiversity and serving as carbon sinks. MAFs, composed of various organisms like sponges and corals, act as ecosystem engineers, shaping hydrodynamics, nutrient flows, and supporting biodiversity. Crucially, they also contribute to the global carbon cycle through carbon capture and storage. However, MAFs are in decline due to environmental degradation, leading to the loss of their complex structures and ecosystem services. To reverse this, destructive practices must be halted, with data-driven evidence showing how such activities harm both the environment and human societies. This shift requires new frameworks and sustainable management practices that engage multiple stakeholders and integrate citizen participation. Large-scale restoration of MAFs will depend on education, community involvement, and adaptive ecological approaches that respond to the rapid changes happening in the ocean.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Lw8Bba8yzuo3AcXmREHdQA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/oyhno3KPgZFKFX46Zxs4H https://cassyni.com/events/oyhno3KPgZFKFX46Zxs4H/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6hunb1JYUTH9Z96dvsoc4N https://cassyni.com/events/oyhno3KPgZFKFX46Zxs4H?videoPreview=1 Terpsichore: Violin & Dance Improvisationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/oyhno3KPgZFKFX46Zxs4H?videoPreview=12022-10-16T12:00:00+00:00484.4Hong Kong Baptist UniversityNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6hunb1JYUTH9Z96dvsoc4N https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q2jZA7Re6saXryj2L8bzds https://cassyni.com/events/Q2jZA7Re6saXryj2L8bzds/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DPPwL6XmtGe1S6mdT1GCGN https://cassyni.com/events/Q2jZA7Re6saXryj2L8bzds?videoPreview=1 Concluding Discussionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q2jZA7Re6saXryj2L8bzds?videoPreview=12023-05-26T12:00:00+00:002276.8Hong Kong Baptist UniversityNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DPPwL6XmtGe1S6mdT1GCGN https://cassyni.com/events/VTsCfdYQvufvzPJpLkqtbF/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4N65fEwBg1HJcEusynX7N6 https://cassyni.com/events/VTsCfdYQvufvzPJpLkqtbF?videoPreview=1 T07 Clustering and KMeansnohttps://cassyni.com/events/VTsCfdYQvufvzPJpLkqtbF?videoPreview=12023-08-07T12:00:00+00:00563.12Hong Kong Baptist UniversityAbstract not yet added.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4N65fEwBg1HJcEusynX7N6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/UUZzaGFN3zZnKdUpEnNZnM https://cassyni.com/events/UUZzaGFN3zZnKdUpEnNZnM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FPDkYXnsMycNZyMGwf7juY https://cassyni.com/events/UUZzaGFN3zZnKdUpEnNZnM?videoPreview=1 Interview with Fr. James Dominic Rooney on Predestination, Reprobation and the Beatific Visionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/UUZzaGFN3zZnKdUpEnNZnM?videoPreview=12025-08-28T12:00:00+00:002088.84Hong Kong Baptist UniversityNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FPDkYXnsMycNZyMGwf7juY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EABowtDSN8Q7Cvks4vXbCR https://cassyni.com/events/EABowtDSN8Q7Cvks4vXbCR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/YE1Kgo1NQNhiKRDbdRhzpv https://cassyni.com/events/EABowtDSN8Q7Cvks4vXbCR?videoPreview=1 Personal Ontology and Life after Deathnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EABowtDSN8Q7Cvks4vXbCR?videoPreview=12024-04-13T12:00:00+00:002570.52Hong Kong Baptist UniversityThis philosophical study addresses personal ontology, examining the fundamental question of "What are we?" as distinct from personal identity over time. The analysis argues that there are principled obstacles to definitively answering this question. Three main ontological options are considered: non-existence, being a simple object (e.g., an immaterial soul), or being a composite physical object (e.g., a body or brain). The non-existence view is rejected through specific arguments. For the remaining two views—simple or composite—the study demonstrates that common philosophical arguments typically used against one can be parodied and applied with similar force against the other. This methodological approach leads to agnosticism regarding the true nature of personal ontology. The work then explores the implications of this agnosticism for the possibility of life after death, examining resurrection, reincarnation, and mind uploading. It is argued that agnosticism regarding personal ontology does not necessarily entail agnosticism about the possibility of life after death. For instance, resurrection is found to be compatible with both immaterial soul and wholly physical conceptions of the self, given the omnipotence of a divine agent. Similarly, reincarnation is considered plausible for both simple and composite entities. A surprising conclusion highlights that alleged empirical evidence for reincarnation, such as memories of past lives, does not support either substance dualism or reincarnation itself, as memories are generally understood to be physically encoded, not inherent to the soul. Mind uploading is presented as a complex conceptual challenge, with no clear objective criteria for preserving personal identity across a digital transfer, especially concerning the ontology of simulated persons.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/YE1Kgo1NQNhiKRDbdRhzpv https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/GdRqBJT4ZRAbZsERccSDvM https://cassyni.com/events/GdRqBJT4ZRAbZsERccSDvM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NRGFes9toE1MddpXcAaDdp https://cassyni.com/events/GdRqBJT4ZRAbZsERccSDvM?videoPreview=1 The Future of Chinese Cities: From Landmark Architecture to Flying Carsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/GdRqBJT4ZRAbZsERccSDvM?videoPreview=12025-07-23T12:00:00+00:005995.44Hong Kong Baptist UniversityChinese cities have long used landmark architecture to project an image of futurity. While many internationally renowned architects have left their signatures in China’s urbanscape, the emphasis shifted over time to include domestic contributors. Nowadays, this futuristic city image is more often than not built on abstract technologies rather than concrete architectural projects. What connects the two, however, is the entanglement of politics and markets in their creation. This digital dialogue brings two perspectives in conversation that shed their respective lights on the way this nexus has evolved over time. Zengxin Wen traces the history of Shanghai Grand Theater—completed during 1993-1998, known as the first public landmark commissioned to foreign architects in post-reform China—through a lately uncovered archive of its plans, competition texts, and drawings. He argues that the glass building not only represented market forces through its symbolic agenda but also enacted market-making in its material production; under a state-orchestrated redivision of aesthetic and technical expertise, architecture was reconstructed into a domain of “culture” as the jurisdiction of architects shifted from all-around “technologists” of the Maoist era to creative “authors” for a market economy. The second contribution by Gladys Pak Lei Chong and Dennis Zuev examines the emerging economy around drones and “flying cars” in South China cities which are currently exploring the new “low altitude economy” (LAE). Airborne mobility can be seen as an important alternative option or additional option for land-based mobility practices, such as logistics, short-range passenger mobility and recreational mobility. With the need for low-carbon on demand transportation electric vertical takeoff operated vehicles eVTOLs are becoming a new pathway for transition to low-carbon aerial mobility. Their project aims to provide a fine-grained analysis of diverse social practices of urban aerial mobility embedded in the context of the sociotechnical transition.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NRGFes9toE1MddpXcAaDdp https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/9DhmV3kByYs5oq3X4SpbUH https://cassyni.com/events/9DhmV3kByYs5oq3X4SpbUH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AHfy3iNUUVx1AHtTFYTgwg https://cassyni.com/events/9DhmV3kByYs5oq3X4SpbUH?videoPreview=1 Designing and Curating East Asianohttps://cassyni.com/events/9DhmV3kByYs5oq3X4SpbUH?videoPreview=12023-02-24T12:00:00+00:005120.76Hong Kong Baptist UniversityWhat activities, ideas, and histories give meaning to and create space for promoting equitable access to digitalized collections, exhibitions, and the information systems at GLAM institutions (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) that distribute cultural heritage in the context of an increasingly interconnected East Asia? How do our disciplinary and curatorial orientations affect how collections and catalogs are described, decoded, translated, and interpreted when subject-matter specialists and user-centered design technologists work together to create exhibitions and databases? In this workshop, the presenters will identify and present three concerns confronting digital-data-inflected curatorship in East Asia: diversity (both in terms of content and audience), translation, and sustainability. Digital-equipped exhibitions use new media, interactive, and multi-touch techniques to engage visitors with virtual reality in a playful manner and allow them to post comments and personalize viewing. It raises questions and potential challenges for curators, educators, and information technology specialists: how to construct a metric for audience participation that incorporates diverse age, gender, and language groups productively? Digital academic collection catalogs necessitate robust and fruitful collaborations among curators, scholars, translators, editors, and computer scientists since the objects involve cultural signifiers embedded in a plethora of languages and dialects (i.e., Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Cantonese, and Hokkien). They will also discuss sustainability from the perspective of indexing the collections and archives, as well as the cost, visibility, and reproducibility of the project over its whole life cycle. The workshop presenters are multi-generational academics and curators with experience in working with collections and exhibitions of East Asian art internationally. They will highlight the challenges, benefits, and opportunities that digital and data-influenced methods offer in curation, research, teaching, and publications and outline possible strategies, ideal vehicles, and/or solutions to address these opportunities in a dynamic and effective manner.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AHfy3iNUUVx1AHtTFYTgwg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BgwniTypAqdaAmX5c8jECD https://cassyni.com/events/BgwniTypAqdaAmX5c8jECD/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4AAFszZFwe3e7yDainDaBg https://cassyni.com/events/BgwniTypAqdaAmX5c8jECD?videoPreview=1 Puritan Sympathy: Musical Metaphors and Analogiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/BgwniTypAqdaAmX5c8jECD?videoPreview=12025-10-16T12:00:00+00:001719.64Hong Kong Baptist UniversityThis presentation builds on Abram C. Van Engen's argument that eighteenth-century sentimentalism extends beyond latitudinarianism and moral sense philosophy to a Calvinist theology of fellow feeling, which includes a Puritan past. Using this, it uncovers the ways Puritan writers adopted musical metaphors to speak of sympathy, as the idea of the human soul being a tunable instrument is among the most common literary tropes in their writing.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4AAFszZFwe3e7yDainDaBg https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/JbbuebJsGqVTU7UnjDcCeR https://cassyni.com/events/JbbuebJsGqVTU7UnjDcCeR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9mM1suFPALomq7cv5bqacn https://cassyni.com/events/JbbuebJsGqVTU7UnjDcCeR?videoPreview=1 Using an R Package - Ep.46nohttps://cassyni.com/events/JbbuebJsGqVTU7UnjDcCeR?videoPreview=12022-07-06T12:00:00+00:00174.76Hong Kong Baptist UniversityEffective data management and aggregation are crucial in research for categorising participants by demographic and experimental assignments. A methodology is demonstrated for performing such aggregations using R packages. The approach involves installing and loading a relevant R package, specifically illustrating the use of the `plyr` package, and subsequently applying a data analysis function. A simulated dataset, `data1`, was utilised, containing variables for participant gender and assignment to one of three groups (A, B, or C). The `count` function, identified as belonging to the `dplyr` package, was applied to this dataset, specifying 'Gender' and 'Group' as the variables of interest. This process successfully generated a tabulated output detailing the number of female and male participants within each of the three groups. The analysis further demonstrated that altering the order of these specified variables within the function's arguments allows for flexible restructuring and presentation of the resulting counts. This methodology provides a straightforward and efficient tool for researchers to quantify and visualise participant distributions across various categories within the R programming environment.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9mM1suFPALomq7cv5bqacn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/K6FWhGxPiJ3WTt1gKetzuj https://cassyni.com/events/K6FWhGxPiJ3WTt1gKetzuj/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4ptbXhJ2B8CCXFRbc3NV9Q https://cassyni.com/events/K6FWhGxPiJ3WTt1gKetzuj?videoPreview=1 The New Investigation of the Resurrection: A Conversation with Andrew Lokenohttps://cassyni.com/events/K6FWhGxPiJ3WTt1gKetzuj?videoPreview=12020-05-25T12:00:00+00:003741.6Hong Kong Baptist UniversityWhat does the latest evidence show about the resurrection of Jesus? How are naturalistic alternatives faring? Sean interviews professor Andrew Loke about his latest book INVESTIGATING THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/4ptbXhJ2B8CCXFRbc3NV9Q https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/S1KyLr1jrhoHxh1Fh6Tw4R https://cassyni.com/events/S1KyLr1jrhoHxh1Fh6Tw4R/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XuerLUGBYDYGXFuqQiH86J https://cassyni.com/events/S1KyLr1jrhoHxh1Fh6Tw4R?videoPreview=1 In Dialogue with COVID-19 & Music Creativitynohttps://cassyni.com/events/S1KyLr1jrhoHxh1Fh6Tw4R?videoPreview=12020-05-15T12:00:00+00:007459.96Hong Kong Baptist UniversityDuring the time of the coronavirus crisis, the growing sense of alienation and isolation is impacting people’s present-day experience. With our general way of living becoming more restricted, many feel a loss of control in the face of uncertainty. Many turn to music. We are thus witnessing the blossoming of music creativity and are astounded by music’s prominence in people’s lives, such as residents singing to each other from their homes’ balconies, people using parodies to vent their frustrations, and musicians turning to multi-track videos to keep performances going online. While the above are just a few examples of COVID-related creativity, the four participants of this forum would like to use an array of local and non-local examples to ponder on the meanings of music creativity in times of crisis from frameworks reflective of their different backgrounds in cultural studies, ethnomusicology, musicology, and performance. They will unravel how COVID-related activities have not only soothed nervous, but also crossed borders, connected communities, and even empowered the less powerful in ways we may have overlooked.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XuerLUGBYDYGXFuqQiH86J https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5G6bQ8qhRUY2phYyQyYbAu https://cassyni.com/events/5G6bQ8qhRUY2phYyQyYbAu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Vw1BvUeJyfURYCYfKWNU38 https://cassyni.com/events/5G6bQ8qhRUY2phYyQyYbAu?videoPreview=1 Children in Operanohttps://cassyni.com/events/5G6bQ8qhRUY2phYyQyYbAu?videoPreview=12020-12-23T12:00:00+00:00444.04Hong Kong Baptist UniversityThe study examines the evolving role and representation of children in opera from its origins to the contemporary period, highlighting shifts in societal attitudes, casting practices, and compositional approaches. Initially, children were perceived as smaller adults, often employed as traveling novelties, prompting legal reforms to protect their welfare. Early operatic works incorporated children in symbolic or minor roles, such as angels or pages, with some productions featuring exclusively child performers. The 19th century saw a decline in child roles but introduced more specific casting that emphasized innocence, while verismo opera integrated children’s choruses to enhance realism. The 20th century reflected broader societal traumas through child characters, exemplified by Krása’s Brundibár, and witnessed increased international diversity in children’s roles. The analysis focuses on key composers who contributed significantly to children’s opera, including César Cui, who wrote complex roles for child performers, and Gian Carlo Menotti, noted for operas tailored to children’s voices and accessible school productions. The work also addresses the pedagogical potential of opera for youth engagement, advocating for active participation over passive consumption in educational settings. Contemporary challenges such as media exposure and ethical concerns surrounding children’s involvement in dramatic works are considered, with recommendations for future practice. This comprehensive overview situates children’s participation in opera within broader cultural, historical, and educational contexts, underscoring its artistic and social significance.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Vw1BvUeJyfURYCYfKWNU38 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7jLcdZ5KcmJXBe2XxfTDtq https://cassyni.com/events/7jLcdZ5KcmJXBe2XxfTDtq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/22ESEi1jAVZturpE6BXWLE https://cassyni.com/events/7jLcdZ5KcmJXBe2XxfTDtq?videoPreview=1 Computational Visualitiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/7jLcdZ5KcmJXBe2XxfTDtq?videoPreview=12025-07-23T12:00:00+00:004295.36Hong Kong Baptist UniversityIn this session on computational visualities, researcher Carloalberto Treccani will discuss the concept of seeing and its application in computer sciences, reflecting on current challenges and their ethical and socio-cultural implications. Held with the support of the National Museum of Natural History and Science (MUHNAC) of Portugal, Treccani will expand his contributions to the field of museology by drawing connections between natural history and the development of visually “intelligent” machines.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/22ESEi1jAVZturpE6BXWLE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4GoPJmYeYZRt9wiyK15GN1 https://cassyni.com/events/4GoPJmYeYZRt9wiyK15GN1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7wXoCiRMa6fPjcLRCikvRL https://cassyni.com/events/4GoPJmYeYZRt9wiyK15GN1?videoPreview=1 Concert #2: Traveling Through Time and Cultures Concert Seriesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4GoPJmYeYZRt9wiyK15GN1?videoPreview=12021-03-28T12:00:00+00:002403.04Hong Kong Baptist UniversityHong Kong has seen challenging times in recent years and this series is intended to remind Hongkongers of the beauty, talent, and creativity that abound in the city. These online concerts are inspired by and dedicated to Hong Kong, and all the performers are based in Hong Kong. The series is also based in part on The Spirit of the Adventurers Concert Series, which was presented in collaboration with the Hong Kong Museum of History in 2018 celebrating the occasion of the Miles Upon Miles: World Heritage along the Silk Road exhibition. In addition to original footage from that series, the concerts feature the world premiere performances of four new works inspired by Hong Kong and written especially for this series – accompanied by video of stunning Hong Kong scenes. Inspiration for the new music comes from Stanley and the Murray House, iconic Canto pop melodies, Hong Kong writer Xi Xi’s work, and reflections on an ever-changing Hong Kong. The series features music by living composers and the audience will have a chance to hear from the composers in their own words as they introduce their works throughout the programs. This project is supported by a grant from the Hong Kong Baptist University. Many thanks to the composers, performers, and help behind the scenes that have made this possible!https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7wXoCiRMa6fPjcLRCikvRL https://cassyni.com/events/R3Cv3vMutwba7yaRTUWN2R/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/R3Cv3vMutwba7yaRTUWN2R https://cassyni.com/events/R3Cv3vMutwba7yaRTUWN2R/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MzHWrptGVK71zpu8fxLNN2 https://cassyni.com/events/R3Cv3vMutwba7yaRTUWN2R?videoPreview=1 The Spectral Difference Raviart-Thomas Method and new Flux Reconstruction Schemes for Simplex Elementsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/R3Cv3vMutwba7yaRTUWN2R?videoPreview=12021-08-26T14:00:00+00:003135.24PyFRPolynomial aliasing errors are an important source of numerical instabilities in under-resolved simulations of turbulent flows carried out with spectral element methods. Within this context, the Spectral Difference (SD) method has been recently shown to reduce aliasing instabilities compared to Flux Reconstruction (FR) formulations for a similar computational cost [1]. However, until very recently, the SD method was only compatible with tensor-product and/or triangular elements. In this talk, the novel Spectral Difference Raviart-Thomas (SDRT) formulation [2] for two and three-dimensional tensor-product and simplex elements and its implementation in PyFR will be described. Through the process, the equivalence between the SDRT and FR methods will be established. Additionally, comparisons between SDRT-related formulations and FR-DG in both linear and non-linear test cases will be presented. At last, I will present some of the visualization and post-processing functionalities recently added to PyFR.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MzHWrptGVK71zpu8fxLNN2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/JcrvnvVkQ5BA6L5TFKL56u https://cassyni.com/events/JcrvnvVkQ5BA6L5TFKL56u/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/H1hnC6VMY9bFWma8YSykRt https://cassyni.com/events/JcrvnvVkQ5BA6L5TFKL56u?videoPreview=1 Roton Metamaterialsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/JcrvnvVkQ5BA6L5TFKL56u?videoPreview=12021-07-27T14:00:00+00:005005.92MetaMATBased on the pioneering work of Lev Landau and Richard Feynman, rotons were observed in inelastic neutron scattering experiments on superfluid helium in 1961. For the roton dispersion relation, energy and momentum of the acoustical wave are proportional to each other for small momenta. For larger momenta, a (roton) minimum of energy versus momentum occurs. Rotons have also been investigated in other correlated quantum systems at low temperatures, such as quasi two-dimensional thin films of 3He, quantum Hall effect stripes in semiconductors, and Bose-Einstein condensates of atoms. In this talk, we present the physics and design of metamaterials showing roton dispersion relations under ambient conditions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/H1hnC6VMY9bFWma8YSykRt https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/K7WXqc9GqXjD66cLqkcsND https://cassyni.com/events/K7WXqc9GqXjD66cLqkcsND/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/K7TbdzzLQLwfcy5MhyzzF8 https://cassyni.com/events/K7WXqc9GqXjD66cLqkcsND?videoPreview=1 Elastic Metamaterials and Their Applications to Wave Controlnohttps://cassyni.com/events/K7WXqc9GqXjD66cLqkcsND?videoPreview=12021-03-09T14:00:00+00:004315.68MetaMATWave property of materials is intimately related to their microstructures. By carefully designing the microstructure, different wave functions not available for traditional materials can be envisaged. In this talk, I will demonstrated through three examples the elastic wave control by the design of elastic metamaterials. The first is elastic negative refraction by designing an elastic metamaterial with both negative effective mass and modulus. The second example focuses on elastic wave filtering, we show that solids with only single polarization mode (either transverse wave or longitudinal wave) can be designed with pentamode materials. Finally I will explain the principle to make an asymmetric metamaterials which breaks the property of symmetric stress, and apply it to design elastic wave cloak. These results demonstrate a great capacity of elastic wave tailoring by elastic metamaterials and will surely find engineering applications in the near future.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/K7TbdzzLQLwfcy5MhyzzF8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VygxWkqAHX8bX5HmTxDMkZ https://cassyni.com/events/VygxWkqAHX8bX5HmTxDMkZ/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Ao8uxBPtfkgEAvCWPBPRav https://cassyni.com/events/VygxWkqAHX8bX5HmTxDMkZ?videoPreview=1 The Physiology of Lens Transparency: New Insights into Presbyopia and Cataractnohttps://cassyni.com/events/VygxWkqAHX8bX5HmTxDMkZ?videoPreview=12021-07-20T04:00:00+00:003681.76The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteThe majority of cases of age-related vision loss in the world today are associated with the lens pathologies presbyopia and cataract. While it is believed these two lens pathologies are linked by oxidative damage to lens proteins, antioxidant based therapies have to date proven ineffective in slowing the onset of either presbyopia or cataract. Our confirmation of the existence of a lens microcirculation system, which generates a circulating flux of water, provides an alternative view not only to understand the onset of presbyopia and cataract, but also opens up new therapeutic pathways to treat presbyopia and cataract using antioxidants. We have shown that movement of water through the lens generates a substantial and highly regulated pressure gradient, delivers nutrients and antioxidants to the lens center, controls lens water content and volume, and maintains overall lens optics. However, with advancing age, these processes become dysfunctional. During middle age, lens pressure and water content increase and the ability of the lens to accommodate is lost. In the elderly, the failure of the system to control lens volume and to deliver antioxidants results in diabetic cortical and nuclear cataract, respectively. It follows therefore that by studying how water transport is regulated in the lens, we can develop novel anti-oxidant-based pharmacological approaches to maintain the optical properties and transparency of the lens and thereby prevent the onset of presbyopia and cataract. In this seminar we will highlight the multidisciplinary approach that we are adopting to test our central hypothesis that age-related changes to lens water content and transport are the initiating causes of the loss of accommodation and the onset of presbyopia in middle age, and the loss of transparency that manifests as either cortical, or nuclear cataract, in the elderly. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Ao8uxBPtfkgEAvCWPBPRav https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VV8DoxjJ49MdcbuUrrZm3j https://cassyni.com/events/VV8DoxjJ49MdcbuUrrZm3j/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DvZtJw9faxMshv4bXArCEi https://cassyni.com/events/VV8DoxjJ49MdcbuUrrZm3j?videoPreview=1 Moth wings as metamaterial sound absorbersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/VV8DoxjJ49MdcbuUrrZm3j?videoPreview=12020-10-07T14:00:00+00:004449.88MetaMATProviding healthy living and working environments in our ever-noisier world necessitates increasing use of noise control technology. The rapidly expanding field of acoustic metamaterials has led to the emergence of ultrathin subwavelength sound absorbing methods, allowing sound insulation to be thinner and lighter than ever before. We will present our discovery of a natural acoustic metamaterial and show our ongoing work towards bioinspired metamaterial absorbers. Our bioinspiration arises from the 65-million-year acoustic arms race between echolocating bats and their moth prey, which has turned the wing scales of moths into an omnidirectional, ultrathin (1/100 λ) and broadband absorber of ultrasound (peak α = 0.71) that provides acoustic camouflage against bats. Our lithographically produced up-sized scale replicas absorb sound and can resonate at the most important frequencies for human communication. This research paves the way for bioinspired broadband sound absorbers that are thinner and lighter than existing solutions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DvZtJw9faxMshv4bXArCEi https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/TWSwHLbY6EN4Uv3z1AQzkM https://cassyni.com/events/TWSwHLbY6EN4Uv3z1AQzkM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/QfnG9zp56dbnNAWvvnrEZt https://cassyni.com/events/J8BhdcLLZFhLGs5wTDD6vh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/BubXJibpf2vSw97WXe3cJz https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4J4QT6jXfo7anAKdq6o8pV https://cassyni.com/events/4J4QT6jXfo7anAKdq6o8pV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6ag8Gw3DBWxbFSXnMjTW5t https://cassyni.com/events/4J4QT6jXfo7anAKdq6o8pV?videoPreview=1 Hierachical geomaterials and seismic metamaterials: tracks for implementationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4J4QT6jXfo7anAKdq6o8pV?videoPreview=12021-12-07T14:00:00+00:003575.84MetaMATThe transposition of the principles of periodic media to materials as specific as terrestrial materials requires rigorous definition of the validity conditions. In particular, the elasticity condition, the full complexity of the attenuation in viscoelastic material, the pattern of the sedimentary basin, the strong antagonism between amplification and attenuation, the soil-structure interaction, etc. Indeed the possibilities of diffraction phenomena have been revealed by experiments on a real scale. The lenses tested are explored as phononic crystals and metamaterials. By the effects observed, we point out the diffraction including Bragg reflection and double image of the source as a result of the negative refraction of a flat lens. However, a metamaterial is defined as an artificial composite material made from the assembly of resonators of smaller dimensions, whose wavelength at resonance is much greater than their physical dimension. These possibilities of local resonances are verified for Helmholtz resonators or very soft soils with rigid inclusions. On a macroscopic scale, a metamaterial is likely to exhibit properties that are not found in nature, such as negative refractive index. In addition to these early interpretations, there is an analysis of the modification of the polarization of surface waves. This new reading of the data opens the discussion on other descriptions of phenomena such as the existence of local resonances of rigid elements placed in a soil, and no longer of empty cylinders, as well as on static or dynamic homogenization approaches, dynamic anisotropy, transformational optics, surface resonators, etc. The modification of the signal by the fact of a structured soil and surface resonators are the link with Civil Engineering and the soil-structure interaction practiced in Earthquake Engineering. Research subjects converge in seismology and on the effects of secondary sources generated by surface buildings. The coupling of buildings such as surface resonators with structured soils constitutes an opportunity for development in the trapping of mechanical energy. In the era of energy transition, any free source of energy is of interest. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6ag8Gw3DBWxbFSXnMjTW5t https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/LbRis2ZxkYTpdoZVzu7jed https://cassyni.com/events/LbRis2ZxkYTpdoZVzu7jed/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/C4yrcPYpBNFR9Wh8xU3Pwk https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/QYfoTkmw4vk4JfKCeLSqGZ https://cassyni.com/events/QYfoTkmw4vk4JfKCeLSqGZ/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5baHMJ5AmbqC9oqtb4aHv6 https://cassyni.com/events/QYfoTkmw4vk4JfKCeLSqGZ?videoPreview=1 A T-matrix approach to describe them all: materials, metamaterials, and metasurfacesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/QYfoTkmw4vk4JfKCeLSqGZ?videoPreview=12022-04-12T13:00:00+00:005035.56MetaMATA T-matrix, also called transition matrix, expresses how an object converts an incident into a scattered field. The object can be classical, like a traditional scatterer for which the T-matrix can be obtained from Maxwell’s equations, or a molecule, which prompts a quantum-chemical treatment to capture its T-matrix. When combined with a renormalization of the T-matrix upon periodically arranging the object, many properties can be analytically expressed. Examples of such properties aee effective material parameters or expressions of how a metasurface diffracts light. Both can be used to design optical materials inversely. In this contribution, I describe the latest developments along these lines and emphasize the combined consideration of ordinary molecular materials and materials. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5baHMJ5AmbqC9oqtb4aHv6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5n2qhnBzPXhZGP99jBPRob https://cassyni.com/events/5n2qhnBzPXhZGP99jBPRob/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/66yg1gkQVuQvsmoADm2bAe https://cassyni.com/events/5n2qhnBzPXhZGP99jBPRob?videoPreview=1 Finding the world’s rarest dolphinnohttps://cassyni.com/events/5n2qhnBzPXhZGP99jBPRob?videoPreview=12022-05-24T04:00:00+00:002694.44The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteThe Maui dolphin is the world's smallest and rarest dolphin. According to a recent population estimate, there are just about 54 individuals over the age of 1 year left. Maui63 is an NZ registered charity that uses drone and AI imagery detection to search for Maui dolphins. This is because the biggest threats are location-related. By identifying individual dolphins, and knowing where they are and when they are there, decisions can be made to protect them from fishing, climate change, toxoplasmosis and other mishaps. It will help tremendously to halt the decline towards extinction. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/66yg1gkQVuQvsmoADm2bAe https://cassyni.com/events/Na71PehiiTTPmBq9tkfAiq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/FZtKDBbMR6KabXQijoSJo8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/HdcxvpEUKsvNN67otGxAzh https://cassyni.com/events/HdcxvpEUKsvNN67otGxAzh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/97fcJ1Cow3qoW7zZqU1BJn https://cassyni.com/events/HdcxvpEUKsvNN67otGxAzh?videoPreview=1 Looking Everywhere and Looking Deeplynohttps://cassyni.com/events/HdcxvpEUKsvNN67otGxAzh?videoPreview=12021-02-27T19:00:00+00:00267.04Mathematical IntelligencerNo abstracthttps://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/97fcJ1Cow3qoW7zZqU1BJn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/R3M2d4wLukECrfeGr9ouQh https://cassyni.com/events/R3M2d4wLukECrfeGr9ouQh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HZmNestDhX92aKQZFzTvFY https://cassyni.com/events/R3M2d4wLukECrfeGr9ouQh?videoPreview=1 Reading the Short Storynohttps://cassyni.com/events/R3M2d4wLukECrfeGr9ouQh?videoPreview=12022-05-25T05:00:00+00:003323.52Stout Research Centre for New Zealand StudiesShort stories can be windows into other worlds. Fictions are brief enough to be consumed in one sitting but memorable enough to stay in the imagination for months or years afterward. The story at its best can be a kind of hinge between the everyday world and the world of the imagination. Appearing in weekly magazines and newspapers as much as in book collections, short stories mingle productively. Lydia Wevers read, wrote about, and anthologised the New Zealand short story throughout her career. This panel takes Lydia's work as a starting point to think about collecting and anthologising.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HZmNestDhX92aKQZFzTvFY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6mGoZtTGTixLzd6o6DmKuo https://cassyni.com/events/6mGoZtTGTixLzd6o6DmKuo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CrGFbVDzqpvPftt7nCtEqc https://cassyni.com/events/6mGoZtTGTixLzd6o6DmKuo?videoPreview=1 An abstract critical point theorem with applications to elliptic problems with combined nonlinearitiesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/6mGoZtTGTixLzd6o6DmKuo?videoPreview=12021-03-11T15:00:00+00:003314.52Partial Differential Equations and ApplicationsWe will present an abstract critical point theorem based on a cohomological index theory that produces pairs of nontrivial critical points with nontrivial higher critical groups. This theorem yields pairs of nontrivial solutions that are neither local minimizers nor of mountain pass type for problems with combined nonlinearities. Applications will be given to subcritical and critical p-Laplacian problems, Kirchhoff type nonlocal problems, and critical fractional p-Laplacian problems.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/CrGFbVDzqpvPftt7nCtEqc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/EAzsG9A93bGBVCdG46d4Ko https://cassyni.com/events/EAzsG9A93bGBVCdG46d4Ko/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RNM7tsy97nmm3srEwZfT7k https://cassyni.com/events/EAzsG9A93bGBVCdG46d4Ko?videoPreview=1 Tracer: A Tool for In-Situ Vortex Identification in High Fidelity Simulations of Unsteady Turbulent Flowsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/EAzsG9A93bGBVCdG46d4Ko?videoPreview=12021-10-21T14:00:00+00:003449.36PyFRFully turbulent flow fields are populated with vortices. Analysing vortices and their interaction could hence help address a range of open questions in the physics of unsteady turbulent flows. The vast abundance of vortices in fully turbulent flow fields requires vortex-based analyses of such flows to be automated. To address this issue we developed Tracer, an in-situ software framework to extract vortices in data of unsteady CFD simulations conducted on GPU systems. To avoid the restrictions related to moving and storing data, Tracer is able to run concurrently with the simulation, analysing the data while it is still in system memory. Contrary to the classic approach of extracting vortices by defining a global threshold of a scalar identifier $f$ for the whole domain, Tracer identifies an individual threshold for each vortex, facilitating the identification of vortices over a wide range of scales and intensities. The first part of this talk will explain Tracer's functionality with a focus on the topological methods which are used for obtaining an individual $f$-threshold for each vortex. The second part demonstrates the application of Tracer to a simulation of a Taylor-Green vortex with the aim of counting vortices over time. Tracer is furthermore applied to a turbulent channel flow at $Re_\tau = 550$ examining the geometry of vortices.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RNM7tsy97nmm3srEwZfT7k https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/MaivxPs1dTZyJZPW6sb4TX https://cassyni.com/events/MaivxPs1dTZyJZPW6sb4TX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KF6msZHQk4hkHK3unjNgPY https://cassyni.com/events/MaivxPs1dTZyJZPW6sb4TX?videoPreview=1 Rare-Earth Nitrides; Free-Ranging Spin-Orbit Ferromagnetismnohttps://cassyni.com/events/MaivxPs1dTZyJZPW6sb4TX?videoPreview=12021-11-01T18:00:00+00:003551.0School of Chemical and Physical SciencesIn 1970 I was privileged to attend a Simon Fraser summer school focused on the rare earths. Among the lecturers was Peter Wachter, a lecture series entitled “The optical, electrical and magnetic properties of the europium chalcogenides and rare earth pnictides”. It’s a pity that I did not pay more attention in preparation for the rare-earth nitride programme that we have pursued since 2006. The rare earths harbour the strongest magnetic moments among all stable elements that late last century brought them to attention for their contribution in permanent magnets, eventually appearing in electromagnetic actuators, motors, and generators that led to an industrial-scale demand that taxed the rare-earth mining and refinement capability. They are further of interest as magnetic substitution in conventional semiconductors and for their optical activity as isolated ions in insulating hosts. Their nitrides adopt the NaCl structure, so simple that they are a favourite playing field of strongly-correlated electron theorists. The a strong spin-orbit interaction in their 4f shell locks together the spin and orbital angular momenta, and magnetic-moment contributions from both deliver outrageous magnetic order across the series. Thus, for example, GdN is conventional spin-only ferromagnetic, SmN has compensating spin and orbital magnetisations resulting in ferromagnetic order with zero net magnetisation, and EuN is van Vleck paramagnetic rendered a diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor by non-magnetic nitrogen vacancies. The full series lends tuneability to the total magnetisation, the coercive field and the net angular momentum, offering materials of interest for a range of devices. The doping control of electronic conduction independent of the magnetic properties further broadens their technical potential. Their cryogenic magnetic/electronic activity makes them interesting both for integrating with Josephson-junction central processors and for alleviating the enormous energy demand for cooling interconnect currents in cloud data-storage centres. I will discuss the 70 years of investigating rare-earth nitrides, but will focus especially on the investigation and potential exploitation of thin films that has been a feature of this century's research. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KF6msZHQk4hkHK3unjNgPY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/5HMcYU2aYiDjSv9dw5GTdP https://cassyni.com/events/5HMcYU2aYiDjSv9dw5GTdP/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/78CqzVbcAiSDdrffjiXa5L https://cassyni.com/events/5HMcYU2aYiDjSv9dw5GTdP?videoPreview=1 Seeing things clearly: Image understanding through hard-attention and reasoning with structured knowledgenohttps://cassyni.com/events/5HMcYU2aYiDjSv9dw5GTdP?videoPreview=12021-11-04T16:00:00+00:005549.08SisonkeBiotikIn this talk, Jonathan aims to frame the current challenges of explainability and understanding in ML-driven approaches to image processing, and their potential solution through explicit inference techniques. Jonathan works as a senior data scientist at EXPLORE-AI and is a member of the RAIL lab at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. His research is focused on capturing higher-order reasoning behind diagnostic outcomes in radiological investigations using agent-based methods; allowing learning models to better understand and articulate knowledge in a clinical setting.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/78CqzVbcAiSDdrffjiXa5L https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q3zaJScXE7GEVCKgrEKs6M https://cassyni.com/events/Q3zaJScXE7GEVCKgrEKs6M/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GS2mudDMjUMjzWdWZp5KZ8 https://cassyni.com/events/Q3zaJScXE7GEVCKgrEKs6M?videoPreview=1 Data-driven reduced-order modeling and control of flows with complex chaotic dynamicsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q3zaJScXE7GEVCKgrEKs6M?videoPreview=12022-03-16T16:00:00+00:003253.48Department of AeronauticsMany fluid flows are characterized by chaotic dynamics, a large number of degrees of freedom, and multiscale structure in space and time. We build on the idea that many dynamical systems that are nominally described by a state variable of very high or infinite dimension -- such as the Navier-Stokes equations governing fluid flow -- can be characterized with a much smaller number of dimensions, because the long-time dynamics lie on a finite-dimensional manifold. We describe a data-driven reduced order modeling method that finds a coordinate representation of the manifold using an autoencoder and then learns an ordinary differential equation (ODE) describing the dynamics in these coordinates, using the so-called neural ODE framework. With the ODE representation, data can be widely spaced. We apply this framework to spatiotemporal chaos in the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation (KSE), chaotic bursting dynamics of Kolmogorov flow, and transitional turbulence in plane Couette flow, finding dramatic dimension reduction while still yielding good predictions of short-time trajectories and long-time statistics. For complex manifolds, this approach can be combined with clustering to generate overlapping local representations that are particularly useful for intermittent dynamics. Finally, we apply this framework to a control problem that models drag reduction in turbulent flow. Deep reinforcement learning (RL) control can discover control strategies for high-dimensional systems, making it promising for flow control. However, a major challenge is that substantial training data must be generated by interacting with the target system, making it costly when the flow system is computationally or experimentally expensive. We mitigate this challenge by obtaining a low-dimensional dynamical model from a limited data set for the open-loop system, then learn an RL control policy using the model rather than the true system. We apply our method to data from the KSE in a spatiotemporally chaotic regime, with aim of minimizing power consumption. The learned policy is very effective at this aim, achieving it by discovering and stabilizing a low-dissipation steady state solution, without having ever been given explicit information about the existence of that solution. Given that near-wall turbulence is organized around simpler recurrent solutions, the present approach might be effective for drag reduction. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/GS2mudDMjUMjzWdWZp5KZ8 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FAKhU8y5KsJ4JS9fSe2pmK https://cassyni.com/events/FAKhU8y5KsJ4JS9fSe2pmK/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bci8hxezTFxk1fEwgifTTt https://cassyni.com/events/FAKhU8y5KsJ4JS9fSe2pmK?videoPreview=1 Optimizing scalar transport with branching pipe flowsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/FAKhU8y5KsJ4JS9fSe2pmK?videoPreview=12022-05-11T13:00:00+00:002836.52Department of AeronauticsWe consider the problem of "wall-to-wall optimal transport" in which we attempt to maximize the transport of a passive temperature field between hot and cold plates. Specifically, we optimize the choice of the divergence-free velocity field in the advection-diffusion equation amongst all velocities satisfying an enstrophy constraint (which can be understood as a constraint on the power required to generate the flow). Previous work established an a priori upper bound on the transport, scaling as the 1/3-power of the flow's enstrophy. Recently, Tobasco & Doering (Phys. Rev. Lett. vol.118, 2017, p.264502) and Doering & Tobasco (Comm. Pure Appl. Math. vol.72, 2019, p.2385--2448) constructed self-similar two-dimensional steady branching flows saturating this bound up to a logarithmic correction to scaling. This logarithmic correction appears to arises due to a topological obstruction inherent to two-dimensional steady branching flows. We present a construction of three-dimensional ``branching pipe flows" that eliminates the possibility of this logarithmic correction and therefore identifies the optimal scaling as a clean 1/3-power law. These branching pipe flows are not merely mathematical construct but in principle can be engineered. Our flows resemble previous numerical studies of the three-dimensional wall-to-wall problem by Motoki, Kawahara & Shimizu (J. Fluid Mech. vol.851, 2018, p.R4). However, using an unsteady branching flow construction, we also show that the 1/3 scaling is, in fact, optimal in two dimensions as well. This unsteady flow construction challenges the general belief that in the class of all incompressible flows, steady flows are optimal in transporting heat. We discuss the underlying physical mechanism that makes the branching flows "efficient" in transporting heat. Finally, we discuss the implications of our result to the heat transfer problem in the Rayleigh--B\'enard convection and the problem of anomalous dissipation in a passive scalar, and we propose a few conjectures in these directions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Bci8hxezTFxk1fEwgifTTt https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SXGDeVN2pkxpQNbS1JJmh7 https://cassyni.com/events/SXGDeVN2pkxpQNbS1JJmh7/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Y1ab8PEHno6Y72KZm4Qe1c https://cassyni.com/events/SXGDeVN2pkxpQNbS1JJmh7?videoPreview=1 Circadian clocksnohttps://cassyni.com/events/SXGDeVN2pkxpQNbS1JJmh7?videoPreview=12022-04-13T14:00:00+00:005063.36New PhytologistHosted by New Phytologist Editor, Elena Kramer, Harvard University Featuring: - Nicky M. Creux, author of [Flower orientation influences floral temperature, pollinator visits and plant fitness](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17627) - Luíza Lane de Barros Dantas, author of [Field microenvironments regulate crop diel transcript and metabolite rhythms](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17650) - Manas Prusty, author of [Genetic loci mediating circadian clock output plasticity and crop productivity under barley](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17284) https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Y1ab8PEHno6Y72KZm4Qe1c https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/YT56KKeDVcXichqBQKRXrm https://cassyni.com/events/YT56KKeDVcXichqBQKRXrm/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/76Gt743TNpX5YXdAKjVuyY https://cassyni.com/events/YT56KKeDVcXichqBQKRXrm?videoPreview=1 Sensory Ecology and Bioacoustics of Marine Animalsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/YT56KKeDVcXichqBQKRXrm?videoPreview=12022-08-02T04:00:00+00:003056.08The Auckland Bioengineering InstituteThe marine explorer Jacques Cousteau’s call his famous underwater documentary the “Silent World,” how could he get it so wrong? The underwater world is a rich acoustic sensory environment that many marine animals have taken advantage of. The University’s Leigh Marine Laboratory has a long history in bioacoustics, where we were the first to show that tiny marine larvae can use underwater sound to navigate and locate reef habitat. Since then, it has established itself as a world leader in understand how marine animals sense and utilise the rich sensory underwater acoustic environment. This is achieved through a multidisciplinary approach, by understanding the physical soundscape, anatomical and physiological studies, and behavioural experiments. Here, I will describe some of the exciting research we are undertaking in each of these fields. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/76Gt743TNpX5YXdAKjVuyY https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/2KVcNzfKKKpvEgqb5X1UGm https://cassyni.com/events/2KVcNzfKKKpvEgqb5X1UGm/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Nh5Nz33eKFfWeku8b1Tkiz https://cassyni.com/events/2KVcNzfKKKpvEgqb5X1UGm?videoPreview=1 Breaking wave impact on a smart bouldernohttps://cassyni.com/events/2KVcNzfKKKpvEgqb5X1UGm?videoPreview=12022-04-12T10:40:00+00:001832.52Water WavesScaled experiments were carried out at Ecole Centrale Marseille (ECM) to determine breaking wave impact modes and energies responsible for the transport of boulder clasts of O(100 t) positioned atop coastal cliffs. The experiments investigated both the breaking wave crest shape and the energy contained in the breaking wave. Detailed measurements of the local free surface, global free surface, and the reaction of the boulder will be presented. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Nh5Nz33eKFfWeku8b1Tkiz https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/FezvdT8VAgmt7u9BEk9nwX https://cassyni.com/events/FezvdT8VAgmt7u9BEk9nwX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2wLdyehhggU1bhsP7mJpFp https://cassyni.com/events/FezvdT8VAgmt7u9BEk9nwX?videoPreview=1 Why Make Things Simple When You Can Make Them Complicated? An Appreciation of Lewis Carroll’s Symbolic Logicnohttps://cassyni.com/events/FezvdT8VAgmt7u9BEk9nwX?videoPreview=12021-10-13T10:40:00+00:004781.0Logica UniversalisLewis Carroll (1832–1898) published a system of logic in the symbolic tradition that developed in his time. Carroll’s readers may be puzzled by his system. On the one hand, it introduced innovations, such as his logic notation, his diagrams and his method of trees, that secure Carroll’s place on the path that shaped modern logic. On the other hand, Carroll maintained the existential import of universal affirmative Propositions, a feature that is rather characteristic of traditional logic. The object of this paper is to untangle this dilemma by exploring Carroll’s guidelines in the design of his logic, and in particular his theory of existential import. It will be argued that Carroll’s view reflected his belief in the social utility of symbolic logic.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2wLdyehhggU1bhsP7mJpFp https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4njdcQtwWcbQbdK9dCv6zh https://cassyni.com/events/4njdcQtwWcbQbdK9dCv6zh/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7kJpTQdyLcQ9RtVuG6gE9t https://cassyni.com/events/4njdcQtwWcbQbdK9dCv6zh?videoPreview=1 The Cultural Logic of the Ordinary: Discourse Re-framing as Micropolitics in Japanesenohttps://cassyni.com/events/4njdcQtwWcbQbdK9dCv6zh?videoPreview=12022-09-02T04:00:00+00:003474.44Linguistics and Applied Language StudiesWhat does it mean to call something ‘ordinary’, and can ordinariness change over time? Using mixed methodologies from linguistics, anthropology and media studies including pragmatic and discourse analysis of face-to-face interactions and visual analysis of mass and social media, this presentation considers how contemporary Japanese younger adults use futsuu ‘ordinary’ to reframe and reinterpret interactionally salient discourses related to desirable and undesirable life practices—in other words to debate and negotiate the meaning of the good life as an ordinary life. Tracing ‘ordinariness’ as a core cultural logic, or way of organizing social experience, among younger Japanese adults, I show how the ordinary can be variously a marketing slogan, a strategy by which individuals reinterpret the meaning of the ‘good life’, and a site through which anxieties about incipient disasters are debated. I argue that under conditions of neoliberal self-financialization and precarity, a turn to ordinariness can be a site of indirect micropolitical resistance. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/7kJpTQdyLcQ9RtVuG6gE9t https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/P4kcSLMF9v1SkxN3VBwxz9 https://cassyni.com/events/P4kcSLMF9v1SkxN3VBwxz9/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rf5ZmCvBff9ep2W1sd8KTU https://cassyni.com/events/P4kcSLMF9v1SkxN3VBwxz9?videoPreview=1 Logical Diagrams, Visualization Criteria and Boolean Algebrasnohttps://cassyni.com/events/P4kcSLMF9v1SkxN3VBwxz9?videoPreview=12022-05-18T13:00:00+00:006169.2Logica UniversalisThis paper presents logical diagrams as attempts to visualize facts about logical/linguistic/conceptual systems. It introduces four criteria for assessing visualization: 1) completeness, 2) correctness, 3) lack of distortion, and 4) legibility. It then studies presents well-known families of diagrams, based on the geometrical figures of a) the hexagon, and b) the tetrakis hexahedron. These are usually presented as exemplary diagrams. To understand better why they succeed so well at visualizing logical information, they are presented as visualizations of complete (finite) Boolean algebras. This also establishes the connection between the combinatorial concept of partition and the logical concept of opposition (i.e. contradiction, contrariness, and subcontrariness). Finally, the paper suggests that the two geometrical figures in question are part of a larger family of polytopes with deep connections to Boolean algebras.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Rf5ZmCvBff9ep2W1sd8KTU https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/8FJV3pwVzBPpT25LUY8ESR https://cassyni.com/events/8FJV3pwVzBPpT25LUY8ESR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HM8qC9KqPkr3476Cm9dDvE https://cassyni.com/events/8FJV3pwVzBPpT25LUY8ESR?videoPreview=1 Mathematics and mechanics of liquid crystal elastomersnohttps://cassyni.com/events/8FJV3pwVzBPpT25LUY8ESR?videoPreview=12022-10-25T13:00:00+00:003592.08Journal of Engineering MathematicsDue to their complex material responses in the presence of external stimuli, liquid crystal elastomers have many potential applications in science, manufacturing, and medical research. The modelling of these materials requires a multiphysics approach, linking traditional continuum mechanics with liquid crystal theory. An important problem for both applications and our fundamental understanding of nematic elastomers is their instability under large strains, as this can be harnessed for actuation, sensing, or patterning. The goal is then to identify parameter values at which a bifurcation emerges, and how these values change with external stimuli, such as temperature or loads. Constitutive parameters of real manufactured materials have also an inherent variation that needs to be taken into account. In this talk, I will present an overview of instabilities occurring in nematic liquid crystal elastomers and examine the contribution of the nematic component and of fluctuating model parameters that follow probability laws. This combined analysis may lead to more realistic characterisation of these fascinating materials.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HM8qC9KqPkr3476Cm9dDvE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/3JpSazUFbbro3vMzU4REiH https://cassyni.com/events/3JpSazUFbbro3vMzU4REiH/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KHb3Dqqz5oFFtj8SkaBM7t https://cassyni.com/events/3JpSazUFbbro3vMzU4REiH?videoPreview=1 Silver nanoparticle aggregates: Wavelength dependence of their SERS properties in the first transparency window of biological tissuesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/3JpSazUFbbro3vMzU4REiH?videoPreview=12022-11-09T14:00:00+00:002784.44Chemical Physics ImpactSurface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a very powerful tool for the identification of chemical and biological species, owing to its recognition capabilities, typical of Raman spectroscopy, and to its high sensitivity arising from the field amplification that occurs at the surface of suitable plasmonic substrates upon excitation.[1,2] In this seminar, we shall provide an overview of the main characteristics and applications of SERS spectroscopy; then, we shall delve into a more specific topic, which is how the SERS enhancement of silver nanoparticle aggregates varies as a function of the excitation wavelength, in particular in the first transparency window of biological tissues. Our experiments show that the SERS enhancement of silver nanoparticle aggregates extends from 680 to 920 nm, without a significant wavelength dependence: the observed very broad optical response has been interpreted with the formation of large sized aggregates, possibly possessing a partial fractal character. On the other hand, the SERS signal, normalized by the laser power and by the integration time, quickly diminishes from 680 to 920 nm. This happens because the SERS signal depends on the enhancement but also on the instrument sensitivity and on the molecular cross section: for dispersive Raman instruments equipped with silicon CCD detectors and for non resonant molecules, these two parameters tend to diminish towards longer excitation wavelengths.[3] The relevance of these results is twofold. a) Simple silver nanoparticle aggregates are good plasmonic substrates in most of the spectral region in which biological tissues present low absorption. b) The enhancement of the substrate and the normalized SERS signal (that is related to the limit of detection) are not necessarily correlated: they carry complementary pieces of information, both needed for properly designing a SERS detection experiment.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KHb3Dqqz5oFFtj8SkaBM7t https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/K7vsZ3sZswd7HG4N8GhVqX https://cassyni.com/events/K7vsZ3sZswd7HG4N8GhVqX/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3y2hpykJmxCDMpKFa9e6RL https://cassyni.com/events/K7vsZ3sZswd7HG4N8GhVqX?videoPreview=1 Density-dependent dispersal reduces conflict over the sex rationohttps://cassyni.com/events/K7vsZ3sZswd7HG4N8GhVqX?videoPreview=12024-11-04T12:00:00+00:001423.16Royal Society PublishingHaplodiploids—in particular, wasps—are the workhorses of sex-allocation research. This owes to their unusual system of sex determination which provides a ready means of sex-ratio adjustment. Notably, their sexually asymmetrical mode of genetic inheritance leads mothers and fathers to come into conflict over the sex ratio of their offspring. In the simplest outbreeding scenario, a mother is favoured to employ an even sex ratio while a father prefers that all his mate’s offspring are female. An important modulator of evolutionary conflict between mating partners is genetic relatedness, raising the possibility that this sex-ratio conflict is reduced in low-dispersal settings with mating occurring between relatives. However, the impact of population viscosity on sex-ratio conflict in haplodiploids remains unknown. Here, we develop and analyse a kin selection model to investigate how the rate of dispersal modulates sex-ratio conflict in a haplodiploid, viscous-population setting. We find that population viscosity is associated with a reduction in the extent of sex-ratio conflict—the effect being very weak under density-independent dispersal and much stronger under density-dependent dispersal.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3y2hpykJmxCDMpKFa9e6RL https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/VVYZXQTb6ZFXomMW9NePX3 https://cassyni.com/events/VVYZXQTb6ZFXomMW9NePX3/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NFsUyvUQhBUAtEHzq3r5EN https://cassyni.com/events/VVYZXQTb6ZFXomMW9NePX3?videoPreview=1 DualSPHysics+: An enhanced DualSPHysics with improvements in accuracy, energy conservation and resolution of the continuity equationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/VVYZXQTb6ZFXomMW9NePX3?videoPreview=12025-01-25T12:00:00+00:001120.4Computer Physics CommunicationsThis seminar explains an enhanced version of the well-known SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) open-source code DualSPHysics for the simulation of free-surface fluid flows, leading to the DualSPHysics+ code. The enhancements are made through incorporation of several schemes with respect to stability, accuracy and energy/volume conservation issues in simulating incompressible free-surface fluid flows within the weakly compressible SPH formalism. The Optimized Particle Shifting (OPS) scheme is implemented to improve the accuracy of particle shifting vectors in the free-surface region. To mitigate energy dissipation and maintain consistency, the artificial viscosity in δ-SPH is substituted with a Riemann stabilization term, leading to the δR-SPH. The Velocity divergence Error Mitigating (VEM) and Volume Conservation Shifting (VCS) schemes are adopted in DualSPHysics+ to mitigate the velocity divergence error and improve the volume conservation, and hence to enhance the resolution of the continuity equation. To further reduce both the instantaneous and accumulated errors in velocity divergence, a Hyperbolic/Parabolic Divergence Cleaning (HPDC) scheme is incorporated in addition to the VEM scheme. The implementations of the introduced schemes on both CPU and GPU-based versions of the DualSPHysics+ code along with details on the compilation, running and computational performance are presented. Validations in terms of accuracy, energy conservation and convergence of DualSPHysics+ are shown via several relevant benchmarks. It is demonstrated that a better velocity divergence error cleaning in both instantaneous and accumulated errors can be achieved by the combination of VEM and HPDC. Meanwhile, the excessive energy dissipation by the artificial viscosity is shown to be suppressed by adopting the Riemann stabilization term. Enhanced resolution of the continuity equation along with improved energy conservation of DualSPHysics+ advance the SPH-based simulation of incompressible free-surface fluid flows.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/NFsUyvUQhBUAtEHzq3r5EN https://cassyni.com/events/4JUkAYTpiD1UyKmf7csmHo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/ddqHqKyQtmFTmecQMNwuQ https://cassyni.com/events/Eg6S8u3qvpduVq4o8ipeyK/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/KqG4YEbwU2EK4cbTqhXYt6 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/4o9yKrdEZ2VJnnmAuizjU1 https://cassyni.com/events/4o9yKrdEZ2VJnnmAuizjU1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8LBGgocS1T4oGJRKpNwoRQ https://cassyni.com/events/4o9yKrdEZ2VJnnmAuizjU1?videoPreview=1 The UKRN Open Research Programme Progress And Plansnohttps://cassyni.com/events/4o9yKrdEZ2VJnnmAuizjU1?videoPreview=12024-09-12T03:00:00+00:006249.48UKRNThis webinar will provide an update on the work of the UKRN Open Research Programme. It will cover the five projects that make up the Programme: 1. Training – an extensive train-the-trainer initiative 2. Reward and Recognition – the OR4 Project, supporting 49 institutions reforming their recruitment and promotion practices 3. Sharing Practice – building and populating a “living website” 4. Evaluation Design – including theories of change, a researcher survey and piloting open research indicators 5. Sustainability, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/8LBGgocS1T4oGJRKpNwoRQ https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/BDe5A14q4hYMZ8KzWZUZmo https://cassyni.com/events/BDe5A14q4hYMZ8KzWZUZmo/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XRM5FRAL7dsDrJ2FX68Kkr https://cassyni.com/events/BDe5A14q4hYMZ8KzWZUZmo?videoPreview=1 Translating the Microbiome through Microsettanohttps://cassyni.com/events/BDe5A14q4hYMZ8KzWZUZmo?videoPreview=12025-04-15T16:00:00+00:00550.88Microbiome Virtual International ForumThe Microsetta Initiative is the globally focused microbiome citizen science successor to the American Gut Project. Representing over 30,000 microbiome samples, with comprehensive phenotypic and diet information, Microsetta is an unparalleled open access compendium of microbiome data. Here, I talk about the state of Microsetta, examples of microbiome results across populations, how you can use these data, and where we are going into the future.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/XRM5FRAL7dsDrJ2FX68Kkr https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/WyaF1Lwpd1h1GAL3Xh1J3f https://cassyni.com/events/WyaF1Lwpd1h1GAL3Xh1J3f/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DVDoKoMMCPamsZ4tV3qvDL https://cassyni.com/events/WyaF1Lwpd1h1GAL3Xh1J3f?videoPreview=1 AFiD-Darcy: A finite difference solver for numerical simulations of convective porous media flowsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/WyaF1Lwpd1h1GAL3Xh1J3f?videoPreview=12025-04-08T08:00:00+00:001616.0Computer Physics CommunicationsWe present an efficient solver for massively-parallel simulations of convective, wall-bounded and incompressible porous media flows. The algorithm consists of a second-order finite-difference pressure-correction scheme, allowing the use of an efficient FFT-based solver in problems with different boundary conditions. The parallelization method is implemented in a two-dimensional pencil-like domain decomposition, which enables efficient parallel large-scale simulations. The original version of the code presented by van der Poel et al. [Comput. Fluids, 116, 10-16 (2015)] has been modified to solve the Darcy equation for the momentum transport, representative of porous media flows driven by buoyancy. Two schemes are implemented to treat the diffusive term of the advection-diffusion equation, namely a fully implicit and semi-implicit formulation. Despite exhibiting a higher computational cost per time step, the fully implicit scheme allows an efficient simulation of transient flows, leading to a smaller time-to-solution compared to the semi-implicit scheme. The implementation was verified against different canonical flows, and the computational performance was examined. To show the code's capabilities, the maximal driving strength explored has been doubled as compared to state-of-art simulations, corresponding to an increase of the associated computational effort of about 8 to 16 times. Excellent strong scaling performance is demonstrated for both schemes developed and for domains with more than $10^{10}$ spatial degrees of freedom.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DVDoKoMMCPamsZ4tV3qvDL https://cassyni.com/events/LfzEL8LHYU2hcKxzziCds/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/ENVEdyWejR8KtQVwSks5ie https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/MaqRQuvZEuGstAbGHJjVkq https://cassyni.com/events/MaqRQuvZEuGstAbGHJjVkq/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Vu4vksDMpVFiZSQRdgoaFp https://cassyni.com/events/MaqRQuvZEuGstAbGHJjVkq?videoPreview=1 Recognition of predator cues hinders social communicationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/MaqRQuvZEuGstAbGHJjVkq?videoPreview=12025-05-14T02:00:00+00:001814.52Royal Society PublishingAntipredator defenses often rely on perception and discrimination of cues from predators, and alteration of behavior by potential prey. Characteristics of acoustic signals allow eavesdropping on calls of predators, permitting listeners to gauge predation risk by assessing the location and identity of the signaler. We tested the ability of bats that are preyed upon by other bats to discriminate between echolocation calls of predators and non-predators, and the impact of risk reduction strategies on communication. Bats distinguished between echolocation calls of predators and non-predators, recognizing predator calls with high accuracy. However, bats were more cautious when the structure of non-predator calls was similar to predator calls. In the presence of predator calls, bats ceased social communication, which could impact sociality and disrupt group cohesion.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/Vu4vksDMpVFiZSQRdgoaFp https://cassyni.com/events/QYnHvGqUgNSxtGWxpmbGZs/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RvHu9gYSiYL5kHD6jZxEjp https://cassyni.com/events/EeivY3oRC9FJHhgXUMM1zM/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/DJn5V5pG9jNjNpwAMNNPrN https://cassyni.com/events/PYUfiEzXJTzZZm19sHHFss/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/AMUidtNrMnP9rRsxDKzguL https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/7jeTtUk53jVWntgx6un5qf https://cassyni.com/events/7jeTtUk53jVWntgx6un5qf/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MkzCDNhXKDUG9iD6pvovA2 https://cassyni.com/events/7jeTtUk53jVWntgx6un5qf?videoPreview=1 GBEES-GPU: An efficient parallel GPU algorithm for high-dimensional nonlinear uncertainty propagationnohttps://cassyni.com/events/7jeTtUk53jVWntgx6un5qf?videoPreview=12025-09-18T10:00:00+00:002224.96Computer Physics CommunicationsEulerian nonlinear uncertainty propagation methods often suffer from finite domain limitations and computational inefficiencies. A recent approach to this class of algorithm, Grid-based Bayesian Estimation Exploiting Sparsity, addresses the first challenge by dynamically allocating a discretized grid in regions of phase space where probability is non-negligible. However, the design of the original algorithm causes the second challenge to persist in high-dimensional systems. This paper presents an architectural optimization of the algorithm for CPU implementation, followed by its adaptation to the CUDA framework for single GPU execution. The algorithm is validated for accuracy and convergence, with performance evaluated across distinct GPUs. Tests include propagating a three-dimensional probability distribution subject to the Lorenz '63 model and a six-dimensional probability distribution subject to the Lorenz '96 model. The results imply that the improvements made result in a speedup of over 1000 times compared to the original implementation.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MkzCDNhXKDUG9iD6pvovA2 https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/M4voDu69gD35bGHLDWSRyw https://cassyni.com/events/M4voDu69gD35bGHLDWSRyw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6ewXmMrRwFFrQBRbmBohPt https://cassyni.com/events/M4voDu69gD35bGHLDWSRyw?videoPreview=1 Community conservatism is widespread across microbial phyla and environmentsnohttps://cassyni.com/events/M4voDu69gD35bGHLDWSRyw?videoPreview=12026-03-24T14:00:00+00:00743.04Microbiome Virtual International ForumEvolution leaves recognizable ecological signatures. In animals and plants, closely related species tend to share traits and ecological niches - a pattern known as phylogenetic signal and niche conservatism. Whether similar principles apply to microorganisms has long remained unclear. By analyzing over one million microbiome samples from diverse environments worldwide (www.microbeatlas.org), we take the community a microbe is found in as a proxy for their realized niche. We show that phylogenetically related microbes consistently occur in more similar communities than distantly related ones. We term this global pattern community conservatism, and show it occurs in all environments and phyla analyzed - and the differences can help us to infer evolutionary patterns such as habitat specialism and generalism in different phyla. Despite immense diversity, frequent horizontal gene transfer and broad dispersal, microbial lineages retain measurable ecological continuity over evolutionary time. Community conservatism extends fundamental evolutionary concepts to the microbial world and shows promise to improve Operational Taxonomic Unit clustering in the future.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/6ewXmMrRwFFrQBRbmBohPt https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/ACwjMA1U3k7sY51ARVCVaV https://cassyni.com/events/ACwjMA1U3k7sY51ARVCVaV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RHAfJrNQU8aYb7ma8TVcYE https://cassyni.com/events/ACwjMA1U3k7sY51ARVCVaV?videoPreview=1 A plumage patch signalling nest occupancy is shaped by social environmentnohttps://cassyni.com/events/ACwjMA1U3k7sY51ARVCVaV?videoPreview=12026-02-01T01:00:00+00:001041.56Royal Society PublishingThe cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a colonial bird that nests in groups of different sizes. Adult cliff swallows have a prominent white forehead patch that we hypothesize functions as a signal of nest occupancy to mitigate costly nest intrusions, especially in crowded nesting colonies. To test this hypothesis, we measured variation in forehead patch area and brightness relative to sex, colony size and date of collection for 241 preserved specimens collected over 43 years. Additionally, we experimentally tested signal function by darkening the foreheads of nesting birds and observing intraspecific interactions. Consistent with a signalling role, we found that females had larger patches than males, patch area increased with colony size, and nests of birds with darkened forehead patches attracted significantly more visits from transient cliff swallows than did nests with no darkened owners. These results suggest that variation in social environment, both in space and time, as well as intersexual differences in incubation behaviour shape the evolution of this conspicuous plumage patch.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RHAfJrNQU8aYb7ma8TVcYE https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/L5wSPTTrEG7vY4hbDcuJM3 https://cassyni.com/events/L5wSPTTrEG7vY4hbDcuJM3/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TeypguS44ggVgNT5kAS4pv https://cassyni.com/events/L5wSPTTrEG7vY4hbDcuJM3?videoPreview=1 Polynomial algebra from the Lie algebra reduction chain su(4) ⊃ su(2) × su(2): The supermultiplet modelnohttps://cassyni.com/events/L5wSPTTrEG7vY4hbDcuJM3?videoPreview=12026-01-12T09:26:52+00:002425.68Annals of PhysicsThe supermultiplet model, based on the reduction chain $\mathfrak{su}(4) \supset \mathfrak{su}(2) \times \mathfrak{su}(2)$, is revisited through the lens of commutants within universal enveloping algebras of Lie algebras. From this analysis, a collection of twenty polynomials up to degree nine emerges from the commutant associated with the $\mathfrak{su}(2) \times \mathfrak{su}(2)$ subalgebra. This study is conducted in the Poisson (commutative) framework using the Lie-Poisson bracket associated with the dual of the Lie algebra under consideration. As the main result, we obtain the polynomial Poisson algebra generated by these twenty linearly independent and indecomposable polynomials, with five elements being central. This incorporates polynomial expansions up to degree seventeen in the Lie algebra generators. We further discuss additional algebraic relations among these polynomials, explicitly detailing some of the lower-order ones. As a byproduct of these results, we also show that the recently introduced ‘grading method' turns out to be essential for deriving the Poisson bracket relations when the degree of the expansions becomes so high that standard approaches are no longer applicable due to computational limitations. These findings represent a further step toward the systematic exploration of polynomial algebras relevant to nuclear models.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/TeypguS44ggVgNT5kAS4pv https://cassyni.com/events/Wwtt9a2eTN7QSnHMj5Co7s/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/U1AsSK5nXnKtgRXGUqwKTc https://cassyni.com/events/LaJpHqxWe7QkkH2gsUhQaR/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/S7e7NGiU9wJjCEsp5qfZXc https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Q2sfjG157gDAbfnsiouY29 https://cassyni.com/events/Q2sfjG157gDAbfnsiouY29/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RcEfPyYzcNGBT57JvmC6h4 https://cassyni.com/events/Q2sfjG157gDAbfnsiouY29?videoPreview=1 Fast and accurate identification of emerging viral reassortment from genome sequencesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Q2sfjG157gDAbfnsiouY29?videoPreview=12026-06-02T02:00:00+00:00622.96Microbiome Virtual International Forum"Segmented viruses, such as influenza A virus and rotavirus, can generate novel strains through reassortment, in which genome segments from different viral strains are exchanged and combined. Reassortment can increase viral diversity and alter biological properties such as transmissibility, host range, and pathogenicity. Several influenza pandemics in history have been associated with reassortment events, highlighting the need to monitor emerging reassortant strains. However, identifying reassortment from genome data remains challenging because discordance between segment phylogenies can arise from both true reassortment and phylogenetic noise, while large-scale datasets make traditional approaches difficult to scale. VReassort is a fast and accurate bioinformatics tool for identifying emerging viral reassortment from genome sequences or phylogenetic trees. It combines deep learning models with phylogenetic tree-derived features to detect reassortment signals between genome segments. VReassort also supports segment-origin analysis of reassortant strains and provides a data quality assessment module to evaluate inference reliability based on phylogenetic tree stability. Using simulated and real viral datasets, VReassort achieved strong performance, with F1-scores exceeding 0.8, and analyzed approximately 1,000 influenza A virus strains in under two minutes. Application to large-scale influenza A virus datasets revealed informative reassortment patterns, and analysis of rotavirus data demonstrated its potential extension to other segmented viruses. VReassort is freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/dhcai21/VReassort, with detailed instructions for reassortment identification, segment-origin analysis, and data quality assessment. "https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/RcEfPyYzcNGBT57JvmC6h4 https://cassyni.com/events/E9sxgxYgwAD7bg6SvgCjFb/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/38jv8TiyqXQsiFymTmMMpA https://cassyni.com/events/E9sxgxYgwAD7bg6SvgCjFb?videoPreview=1 Antibiotics, gut microbiome, and cancer immunotherapynohttps://cassyni.com/events/E9sxgxYgwAD7bg6SvgCjFb?videoPreview=12026-09-15T12:20:00+00:00674.12Microbiome Virtual International ForumAbstract not yet added.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/38jv8TiyqXQsiFymTmMMpA https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/H7gidAtBMpkqvQXda57LN1 https://cassyni.com/events/H7gidAtBMpkqvQXda57LN1/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HpqGMRTE8wuUUMLihGMSUn https://cassyni.com/events/H7gidAtBMpkqvQXda57LN1?videoPreview=1 Challenging a Clinical Dogma with Multimodal Machine Learning: A Retrospective Analysis of Transplant Mismatched Donor Selectionnohttps://cassyni.com/events/H7gidAtBMpkqvQXda57LN1?videoPreview=12026-02-24T14:00:00+00:001628.0LeukemiaThe “younger is better” maxim for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) donor selection often drives risky treatment delays. We challenged this dogma in the modern era of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) prophylaxis. Using advanced machine learning models on a CIBMTR registry cohort of 5,143 patients undergoing haploidentical or mismatched unrelated donor (MMUD) HCT with PTCy, we quantified the precise impact of donor age on outcomes. We found the survival penalty from an older donor is modest and varies by donor type; for haploidentical HCT, a donor's age had to reach 42 years to confer just a 10-day loss in 2-year survival compared to an 18-year-old donor. MMUDs were less sensitive to donor age, with no equivalent survival decrement observed for donors up to 50 years old. While increasing donor age was independently associated with a higher risk of graft-versus-host disease, it had no effect on relapse. Our findings demonstrate that the small survival benefit of a younger donor must be weighed against the significant morbidity of graft-versus-host disease and the well-documented harms of treatment delay. This quantitative framework supports the practice of proceeding with a suitable, available donor rather than waiting for a marginally younger one.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/HpqGMRTE8wuUUMLihGMSUn https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/Kavjrb7oZ7XLHM1C7m1y5w https://cassyni.com/events/Kavjrb7oZ7XLHM1C7m1y5w/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2mSydWnUdr3aoGPtC48f2e https://cassyni.com/events/Kavjrb7oZ7XLHM1C7m1y5w?videoPreview=1 A numerical approach to calculate cross sections for relativistic electrons and terrestrial gamma-ray flashesnohttps://cassyni.com/events/Kavjrb7oZ7XLHM1C7m1y5w?videoPreview=12026-03-04T13:00:00+00:001208.68Computer Physics CommunicationsTerrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are bursts of energetic X- and gamma-rays which are emitted from thunder storms as the Bremsstrahlung of relativistic electrons. While such relativistic particles propagate through the atmo sphere, they interact with air molecules which can be studied with particle Monte Carlo models. Such models require cross sections as an input. Whilst there are well established data for elastic scattering, Bremsstrahlung and impact ionization through relativistic electrons as well as for photoionization, Compton scattering and pair production for energetic photons, we lack cross sections for photoexcitation, photodissociation or the excitation of air molecules through electrons which can contribute to the chemical activation of the atmosphere, potentially relevant for the study of greenhouse gas production from lightning in our atmosphere. In order to fill this cross section gap, we here present a novel numerical tool calculating cross sections directly from Feynman diagrams providing both differential and total cross sections. We provide an overview of the code structure and present benchmarking cases against well-known cross sections. Additionally, we will present a first application by calculating the cross section for photodissociation for a wide range of energies. The presented model is capable of calculating cross sections for more leptonic and pho tonic processes in the atmosphere than today. Subsequently, this will allow for more realistic simulations of energetic phenomena in our atmosphere.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2mSydWnUdr3aoGPtC48f2e https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SW1CWAB9hXH7n9zmVCauEd https://cassyni.com/events/SW1CWAB9hXH7n9zmVCauEd/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B1GZjiiY2j5vvS7AEmiheN https://cassyni.com/events/SW1CWAB9hXH7n9zmVCauEd?videoPreview=1 Flexible wing hinge enables robustness of aerodynamics, stability and stabilization in insect flightnohttps://cassyni.com/events/SW1CWAB9hXH7n9zmVCauEd?videoPreview=12026-03-16T05:00:00+00:001525.36Royal Society PublishingInsect flight is both diverse and robust, relying on the integration of multiple flexible structures, including wings, exoskeletal elements, wing hinges, musculoskeletal components, and sensory systems. Simulation-based biomechanics in insect-inspired flight systems provides a powerful tool for unraveling passive and active mechanism (PAM) strategies—that is, how these flexible structures interact to achieve efficient and robust flapping-wing dynamics, aerodynamics, and flight control. In this seminar, I begin with a brief introduction to a triune platform of insect-inspired flight systems that we have developed to integrate state-of-the-art technologies in experiments, computational fluid dynamics, and bio-inspired flying robotics, with particular emphasis on a bio-inspired flight dynamics simulator. I then focus on two topics: (1) how passive–active mechanisms (PAM) enhance aerodynamic robustness and flight stability, illustrated by the aerodynamics and stability of hawkmoth forward flight with a flexible wing hinge (Xue, Cai, and Liu, 2024); and (2) how PAM contributes to stabilization robustness, demonstrated by the role of passive pitch rotation in enabling optimal vibrational stabilization during hawkmoth forward flight (Xue, Cai, and Liu, 2026). Finally, I conclude with an outlook on future challenges and research directions.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B1GZjiiY2j5vvS7AEmiheN https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/SzeoYqpg8yqAmvXf5dshVw https://cassyni.com/events/SzeoYqpg8yqAmvXf5dshVw/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/J5A4smGzMgBXJqzGx2whka https://cassyni.com/events/SzeoYqpg8yqAmvXf5dshVw?videoPreview=1 Modeling Donor Age and Type Trade-offs for Personalized Selection in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide prophylaxisnohttps://cassyni.com/events/SzeoYqpg8yqAmvXf5dshVw?videoPreview=12026-03-07T14:00:00+00:001954.32LeukemiaThe prevailing fixed-hierarchy approach to donor selection for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) fails to capture critical interactions between donor age and type. We addressed this by analyzing 1,713 adult recipients of matched related (MRD), matched unrelated (MUD), or haploidentical donors, receiving post-transplantation cyclophosphamide, using both regularized-Cox and XGBoost machine learning models. Our analysis revealed that the overall, independent association of donor age with survival was modest; however, its importance became pivotal within specific, context-dependent trade-offs. For example, while age-matched MRD and MUD were equivalent, a younger MUD was superior to an older MRD for elderly recipients. The survival advantage of MUD over haploidentical donors was consistent and magnified with increasing recipient age. We identified a non-linear relationship between baseline risk and the benefit of a matched versus a haploidentical donor; with the gain being maximal for intermediate-risk patients but attenuated in the highest-risk stratum. Our framework quantifies the gap that persists even between HLA-favorable haploidentical donors and matched donors. These findings provide a quantitative framework –the principles of which we have made explorable via an interactive web application –for a personalized, risk-adapted approach to donor selection. The clinical utility of this model must be confirmed in future validation studies. https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/J5A4smGzMgBXJqzGx2whka https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/6FUfqPgQWURTHKzdCrchSD https://cassyni.com/events/6FUfqPgQWURTHKzdCrchSD/abstract https://cassyni.com/events/6FUfqPgQWURTHKzdCrchSD?videoPreview=1 Short- and long-term antagonistic selection explains dispersal polymorphism in the common lizardnohttps://cassyni.com/events/6FUfqPgQWURTHKzdCrchSD?videoPreview=12026-05-07T09:00:00+00:001027.12Royal Society PublishingDispersal is a key process that shapes the dynamics, genetic structure and adaptive potential of natural populations, yet persistence of its polymorphism remains puzzling. Combining quantitative genetics with long-term field data from a 20-year population monitoring of common lizards (Zootoca vivipara), we assessed the heritability, intragenerational and multigenerational selection of dispersal. We found both natal and adult dispersal to be weakly to moderately heritable (h^2=0.1-0.22). Furthermore, we found that natal dispersal was subject to antagonistic selection pressures across timescales: dispersers experienced reduced individual fitness during their lifetime; however, their lineages persisted longer through generations, likely due to competition-mediated kin selection within a lineage and resulting in neutral equilibrium. This antagonistic interplay between short- and long-term selection pressures explains how dispersal polymorphism is maintained in the studied population. Considering multigenerational fitness metrics reveals an evolutionary equilibrium that is obscured focusing on short-term perspectives. Therefore, our study highlights the importance of considering multiple generations to understand the persistence of phenotypic polymorphism. https://cassyni.com/events/PYktrY9PL5Fq2EPKm84Lxu/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EbGxS5jabdM5sFCf4tw2Nz https://cassyni.com/events/UyvAUgn3ZUGzyLRjyR8QqB/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/M6zWNbyWiibnvWe9eMsfW6 https://cassyni.com/events/J74o4RitSpeGPLZ8KnnmrV/seminar/qa https://cassyni.com/slides/outline/J74o4RitSpeGPLZ8KnnmrV https://cassyni.com/events/J74o4RitSpeGPLZ8KnnmrV/abstract https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9XrFHXNB85kLUS1b7Uc3Nn https://cassyni.com/events/J74o4RitSpeGPLZ8KnnmrV?videoPreview=1 Trixi.jl: Numerical Methods, Algorithms, and Softwarenohttps://cassyni.com/events/J74o4RitSpeGPLZ8KnnmrV?videoPreview=12026-06-09T10:00:00+00:003649.36Nektar++ Development TeamIn this talk, I will present recent advances in discontinuous Galerkin spectral element methods for compressible flows and hyperbolic conservation laws. A central focus will be the robustness of these schemes: how can we design high-order numerical methods with mathematical guarantees that prevent simulation failure? To achieve this, we employ a convex blending strategy that combines a compatible low-order method with a nodal high-order discontinuous Galerkin scheme. Through a careful design of the underlying ingredients, this approach provides guaranteed positivity preservation of the numerical solution and enhances overall robustness. In addition, I will discuss our experience with the open-source development of the Julia-based simulation framework Trixi.jl (https://github.com/trixi-framework) and highlight several of its features, capabilities, and associated ecosystem packages. This work is in collaboration with many researchers, e.g., Michael-Schlottke Lakemper, Hendrik Ranocha, Jesse Chan, Andrés Rueda-Ramiréz, Andrew Winters, Benjamin Bolm, Dmitri Kuzmin.https://cassyni-user-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/9XrFHXNB85kLUS1b7Uc3Nn