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The top 10 research priorities in bleeding disorders: a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership
No full textFrom Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2019-04-23, issued 2019-04-23Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organisatio
Trading Global Catastrophes: NATO’s Science Diplomacy and Nuclear Winter
Get PDFFrom SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-04-23Publication status: PublishedFunder: European Commission - H2020; Grant(s): 770523This essay explores the reception of ‘nuclear winter’ at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This response is paradigmatic of how scientific predictions can work as stimuli for science diplomacy activities, and either inflate or deflate these forecasts’ public resonance. Those who elaborated the theory in the early 1980s predicted that the environmental consequences of a future nuclear conflict would have been catastrophic; possibly rendering the earth uninhabitable and leading to the extinction of humankind. This prospect was particularly problematic for the Western defence alliance, since it was difficult to reconcile with the tenets of its nuclear posture, especially after the 1979 Dual Track decision, engendering concerns about the environmental catastrophe that the scientists predicted. Thus, NATO officials refrained from commenting on nuclear winter and its implications for the alliance’s deterrence doctrine for some time in an effort to minimize public criticism. Meanwhile, they progressively removed research on nuclear winter from the set of studies and scientific debates sponsored by NATO in the context of its science initiatives. In essence, NATO officials ‘traded’ the promotion of these problematic studies with that of others more amenable to the alliance’s diplomacy ambitions
A global survey of current zoo housing and husbandry practices for Fossa: A preliminary review
Get PDF© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The fossa is a specialized Malagasy carnivore housed in ex situ facilities since the late 19th century. Moderate breeding success has occurred since the 1970s, and welfare issues (notably stereotypic pacing behaviour) are commonly documented. To understand challenges relating to fossa housing and husbandry (H) across global facilities and to identify areas of good practice that dovetail with available husbandry standards, a survey was distributed to ZIMS-registered zoos in 2017. Results showed that outdoor housing area and volume varied greatly across facilities, the majority of fossa expressed unnatural behaviours, with pacing behaviour the most frequently observed. All fossa received enrichment, and most had public access restricted to one or two sides of the enclosure. The majority of fossa were locked in/out as part of their daily management and forty-one percent of the fossa surveyed as breeding individuals bred at the zoo. Dense cover within an enclosure, restricted public viewing areas, a variable feeding schedule and limited view of another species from the fossa exhibit appear to reduce the risk of unnatural behavior being performed. The achievement of best practice fossa husbandry may be a challenge due to its specialized ecology, the limited wild information guiding captive care, and the range of housing dimensions and exhibit features provided by zoos that makes identification of standardized practices difficult. We recommended that holders evaluate how and when enrichment is provided and assess what they are providing for environmental complexity as well as consider how the public views their fossa
Systematic Roadmap for Cancer Drug Screening Using Zebrafish Embryo Xenograft Cancer Models: Melanoma Cell Line as a Case Study
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-07-19, pub-electronic 2021-07-23Publication status: PublishedFunder: Gobierno de Navarra; Grant(s): 0011-1408-2016-000004, 0011-1365-2020-000292Zebrafish embryo tumor transplant models are widely utilized in cancer research. Compared with traditional murine models, the small size and transparency of zebrafish embryos combined with large clutch sizes that increase statistical power and cheap husbandry make them a cost-effective and versatile tool for in vivo drug discovery. However, the lack of a comprehensive analysis of key factors impacting the successful use of these models impedes the establishment of basic guidelines for systematic screening campaigns. Thus, we explored the following crucial factors: (i) user-independent inclusion criteria, focusing on sample homogeneity; (ii) metric definition for data analysis; (iii) tumor engraftment criteria; (iv) image analysis versus quantification of human cancer cells using qPCR (RNA and gDNA); (v) tumor implantation sites; (vi) compound distribution (intratumoral administration versus alternative inoculation sites); and (vii) efficacy (intratumoral microinjection versus compound solution in media). Based on these analyses and corresponding assessments, we propose the first roadmap for systematic drug discovery screening in zebrafish xenograft cancer models using a melanoma cell line as a case study. This study aims to help the wider cancer research community to consider the adoption of this versatile model for cancer drug screening projects
Visualising regional disparities in the risk of COVID-19 at different phases of lockdown in England
Get PDFFrom SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-01-19Publication status: PublishedFunder: Alliance Manchester Business School Strategic Investment FundSince late January 2020 when the first coronavirus case reached England, United Kingdom, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly and widely across all local authorities (LAs) in England. In this featured graphic, we visualise how COVID-19 severity changes nationally and locally from 30 January to 23 November 2020. The geo-visualisation shows that there have been large regional disparities in the severity of the outbreak, and the epicentres have shifted from Greater London, Leicester, to the North of England and remained in the North during pre-lockdown, post-lockdown, easing lockdown and second national lockdown phases. We further find that the increase in the testing capacity may partially explain the sharp increase in the confirmed cases during the second wave of the pandemic. However, the disparities in the severity of COVID-19 (i.e., confirmed cases and deaths) among LAs in England become more significant over time. It further sheds light on the necessity of establishing decisive and timely responses to cope with local pandemic situations
The white‐rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, under combinatorial stress produces variable oil profiles following analysis of secondary metabolites
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-06-29, rev-recd 2020-11-10, accepted 2021-01-15, pub-electronic 2021-02-25, pub-print 2021-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Global Challenges Research Fund 2018‐19 GCRF Accelerator ‐ Adding value to agricultural waste through conversion to value added products; Grant(s): G.LFGC.001.EXPAbstract: Aims: The effects of combinatorial stress on lipid production in Phanerochaete chrysosporium remain understudied. This species of white‐rot fungi was cultivated on solid‐state media while under variable levels of known abiotic and biotic stressors to establish the effect upon fungal oil profiles. Methods and Results: Environmental stressors induced upon the fungus included the following: temperature, nutrient limitation and interspecies competition to assess impact upon oil profiles. Fatty acid type and its concentration were determined using analytical methods of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Growth rate under stress was established using high‐performance liquid chromatography with ergosterol as the biomarker. Fungi grown on solid‐state agar were able to simultaneously produce short‐ and long‐chain fatty acids which appeared to be influenced by nutritional composition as well as temperature. Addition of nitrogen supplements increased the growth rate, but lipid dynamics remained unchanged. Introducing competition‐induced stress had significantly altered the production of certain fatty acids beyond that of the monoculture while under nutrient‐limiting conditions. Linoleic acid concentrations, for example, increased from an average of 885 ng μl−1 at monoculture towards 13 820 ng μl−1 at co‐culture, following 7 days of incubation. Conclusions: Interspecies competition produced the most notable impact on lipid production for solid‐state media cultivated fungi while the addition of nitrogen supplementation presented growth and lipid accumulation to be uncorrelated. Combinatorial stress therefore influences the yield of overall lipid production as well as the number of intermediate fatty acids produced, deriving similar oil profiles to the composition of vegetable and fish oils. Significance and Impact of the Study: Fungal secondary metabolism remains highly sensitive following combinatorial stress. The outcome impacts the research towards optimizing fungal oil profiles for biomass and nutrition. Future investigations on fungal stress tolerance mechanisms need to address these environmental factors throughout the experimental design
An Analytical Methodology for the Investigation of the Relationship of Music and Lyrics in Popular Music
Get PDFThis thesis details the conception and design of a new methodology for examining pop songs holistically; considering both music and lyrics and examining the synergies between the two. Central to this methodology is the application of a data extraction framework, which has been designed to mine information about musical and lyrical phenomena. This framework operates as a common source for producing data about two very different media, avoiding individual interpretation where this is possible. The methodology has been designed to address specific questions about the relationship between music and lyrics, but the main purpose of the thesis is to evaluate the usefulness of the endeavour.
In order to examine the efficacy of this approach, the framework was used to populate a dataset made up of a sample of 300 songs, which was subsequently explored and analysed through a series of case studies which investigate combinations of metrics concerned with music and lyrics for the whole sample, as well as analysis of specific subsets defined by a range of parameters. These case studies have demonstrated the various ways this approach might be used, as well as working as proof of concept.
The conclusion of the thesis reviews the various case studies in the context of presenting potential uses of the framework as a tool and the broader methodology by other scholars. There is also a consideration of how the overall data might be affected by the inclusion of genres and styles that are not included in the initial sample set
We See Data Everywhere Except in the Productivity Statistics
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: pub-electronic 2021-09-28Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedThis paper uses Labor Force Survey data for European countries to estimate national investment in data assets, where the asset boundary is extended beyond that for software and databases as currently defined in the System of National Accounts. We find that: (a) in 2011–2018, 1.4 percent of EU‐28 employment was engaged in the formation of (software and) data assets, with a mean growth rate of 5 percent per annum; (b) on average in 2011–2016, expanding the asset boundary raises the level of own‐account GFCF in software and databases in the EU‐16 by 61 percent, and mean growth in real investment in own‐account software and data assets to 6.9 percent pa, compared to 2.7 percent pa in national accounts; (c) in 2011–2016, expansion of the asset boundary raises labor productivity growth in the EU‐13 from 0.79 percent to 0.83 percent pa, and the contribution of software and data capital deepening over three‐fold, from 0.03 percent to 0.10 percent pa
Seasonal patterns of malaria, genital infection, nutritional and iron status in non-pregnant and pregnant adolescents in Burkina Faso: a secondary analysis of trial data
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-02-20, accepted 2021-09-16, registration 2021-09-21, pub-electronic 2021-09-27, online 2021-09-27, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Background: Adolescents are considered at high risk of developing iron deficiency. Studies in children indicate that the prevalence of iron deficiency increased with malaria transmission, suggesting malaria seasonally may drive iron deficiency. This paper examines monthly seasonal infection patterns of malaria, abnormal vaginal flora, chorioamnionitis, antibiotic and antimalarial prescriptions, in relation to changes in iron biomarkers and nutritional indices in adolescents living in a rural area of Burkina Faso, in order to assess the requirement for seasonal infection control and nutrition interventions. Methods: Data collected between April 2011 and January 2014 were available for an observational seasonal analysis, comprising scheduled visits for 1949 non-pregnant adolescents (≤19 years), (315 of whom subsequently became pregnant), enrolled in a randomised trial of periconceptional iron supplementation. Data from trial arms were combined. Body Iron Stores (BIS) were calculated using an internal regression for ferritin to allow for inflammation. At recruitment 11% had low BIS (< 0 mg/kg). Continuous outcomes were fitted to a mixed-effects linear model with month, age and pregnancy status as fixed effect covariates and woman as a random effect. Dichotomous infection outcomes were fitted with analogous logistic regression models. Results: Seasonal variation in malaria parasitaemia prevalence ranged between 18 and 70% in non-pregnant adolescents (P < 0.001), peaking at 81% in those who became pregnant. Seasonal variation occurred in antibiotic prescription rates (0.7–1.8 prescriptions/100 weekly visits, P < 0.001) and chorioamnionitis prevalence (range 15–68%, P = 0.026). Mucosal vaginal lactoferrin concentration was lower at the end of the wet season (range 2–22 μg/ml, P < 0.016), when chorioamnionitis was least frequent. BIS fluctuated annually by up to 53.2% per year around the mean BIS (5.1 mg/kg2, range 4.1–6.8 mg/kg), with low BIS (< 0 mg/kg) of 8.7% in the dry and 9.8% in the wet seasons (P = 0.36). Median serum transferrin receptor increased during the wet season (P < 0.001). Higher hepcidin concentration in the wet season corresponded with rising malaria prevalence and use of prescriptions, but with no change in BIS. Mean Body Mass Index and Mid-Upper-Arm-Circumference values peaked mid-dry season (both P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our analysis supports preventive treatment of malaria among adolescents 15–19 years to decrease their disease burden, especially asymptomatic malaria. As BIS were adequate in most adolescents despite seasonal malaria, a requirement for programmatic iron supplementation was not substantiated
Agents and Robots for Reliable Engineered Autonomy:A Perspective from the Organisers of AREA 2020
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-05-13, pub-electronic 2021-05-14Publication status: PublishedFunder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Grant(s): EP/R026092, EP/R026173, EP/R026084, 694277Multi-agent systems, robotics and software engineering are large and active research areas with many applications in academia and industry. The First Workshop on Agents and Robots for reliable Engineered Autonomy (AREA), organised the first time in 2020, aims at encouraging cross-disciplinary collaborations and exchange of ideas among researchers working in these research areas. This paper presents a perspective of the organisers that aims at highlighting the latest research trends, future directions, challenges, and open problems. It also includes feedback from the discussions held during the AREA workshop. The goal of this perspective is to provide a high-level view of current research trends for researchers that aim at working in the intersection of these research areas
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