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Testing geological proxies for deep-time tidal model simulations
Get PDFTides are a key driver of a range of Earth system processes, and we now have the capacity to simulate tidal dynamics on a range of temporal and spatial scales. Deep-time tidal model simulations have been used to provide insight into past ocean circulation patterns, evolution of life and the developments of the Earth-Moon system's orbital configuration. However, these tidal model simulations are relatively poorly constrained and validated because of a lack of readily available proxies. The feasibility of using two types of proxy is explored here; (1) sedimentary deposits which can directly estimate palaeotidal ranges, and (2) black shale, to constrain three palaeotidal model simulations for different time slices. Specifically, three palaeotidal range proxies were used for the early Devonian (400 Ma), three palaeotidal range proxies and five black shales for the lower Jurassic (185 Ma), and eight black shales for the early Cretaceous (95 Ma). Both tidal proxies confirm the tidal model results in most locations. The model results for 400 Ma and 185 Ma matched 2/3 of the palaeotidal range proxies for each of these periods. The locations of black shale were compared with tidal front locations predicted by the model outputs based on the Simpson–Hunter parameter and the model results from 95 to 185 Ma agree with the black shale proxies in 10/13 of the locations. In the cases where there is a disagreement, the model resolution is probably too low to fully resolve the details of the coastal topography, or—in one case—the palaeobathymetry is incorrect. Consequently, it is argued that it is worth expanding this type of work, and that such data can be used to validate both models and reconstructions
Cold indoor temperatures and their association with health and well-being: a systematic literature review
Get PDFObjectiveThe study aimed to identify, appraise and update evidence on the association between cold temperatures (i.e. Study designThis study was a systematic review.MethodsSeven databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Coronavirus Research Database) were searched for studies published between 2014 and 2022, which explored the association between cold indoor temperatures and health and well-being outcomes. Studies were limited to those conducted in temperate and colder climates due to the increased risk of morbidity and mortality during winter in those climatic zones. Studies were independently quality assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies.ResultsOf 1209 studies, 20 were included for review. Study outcomes included cardiovascular (blood pressure, electrocardiogram abnormalities, blood platelet count), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms, respiratory viral infection), sleep, physical performance and general health. Seventeen studies found exposure to cold indoor temperatures was associated with negative effects on health outcomes studied. Older individuals and those with chronic health problems were found to be more vulnerable to negative health outcomes.ConclusionEvidence suggests that indoor temperature
Ten priority questions for increasing the consistency and success in hatchery production of the European flat oyster for habitat restoration
Get PDFThe European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, once formed extensive reef habitats throughout European seas and estuaries. These reefs are now largely functionally extinct, yet interest and support for their restoration is rapidly growing. A major bottleneck to scaling up oyster reef restoration is the lack of available oysters to supply the growing demand. This study aimed to identify the ten questions which, if answered, would increase the consistency and success in hatchery production of O. edulis for habitat restoration. Candidate questions were submitted by representatives from twelve commercial and research hatcheries across Europe. The list of 98 candidate questions were collaboratively discussed by experts from nine research hatcheries across eight countries in Europe, to identify the top ten questions via an iterative and open process. Questions were grouped into the following themes: conditioning and feeding, larval rearing, disease and water quality, hatchery protocol, genetics, and hatchery management. There were several overarching topics spanning these themes, including diet optimisation, maximising the effective population size, and developing the technical skillbase in order to increase hatchery production to meet the projected increase in demand for oyster seed for habitat restoration efforts. We anticipate this list will provide a starting point for collaborative research efforts across Europe, as well as assisting policy makers and funders in identifying key knowledge gaps. <br/
Serhii Plokhy The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History
Get PDFReview of Serhii Plokhy, The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of HistoryAllen Lane, 2023, 376 pp. ISBN: 978-0-241-61735-
Preparation and characterisation of uranium and tungsten borides for applications in the nuclear industry
Get PDFUse of untargeted metabolomics to analyse changes in extractable soil organic matter in response to long-term fertilisation
Get PDFThis study aimed to explore the soil metabolic response to long-term fertiliser application and the effect of this response on the microbial community by taking advantage of the Woburn Organic Manuring Experiment (UK; operational since 1964). Untargeted metabolomes detected by gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometer/mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS/MS) and ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass-spectrometer/mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOFMS/MS) were used to explore which method better reflected soil microbe-accessible metabolites. Microbial community abundance was detected by high-throughput sequencing. We found that long-term farmyard manure application enhanced the soil’s total and dissolved C and N contents. The metabolite content detected by GC-TOFMS/MS (TOF detector with a cold injection unit) had a negative linear correlation with soil organic matter, extractable organic nitrogen (N), and microbial carbon (C). Conversely, the metabolite content detected by UHPLC-QTOFMS/MS was positively correlated with soil organic matter, indicating that metabolites detected by UHPLC-QTOFMS/MS were the main components of soluble soil organic matter. More positive than negative correlations were observed between metabolites and bacterial (69.5%) and fungal (67.9%) taxa in the co-occurrence network. Among the bacterial taxa in the network, the family Planococcaceae and genus Paenibacillus showed the most correlations with metabolites. The choice of extraction and detection method affects the identity and number of metabolites detected. Therefore, careful consideration is needed when selecting which methods to use. We demonstrated a strong correlation between soil metabolites and microbial community abundance. However, a deeper understanding of soil microbial function and metabolite formation, content, and decomposition is still needed
Microbiome enrichment from contaminated marine sediments unveils novel bacterial strains for petroleum hydrocarbon and heavy metal bioremediation
Get PDFPetroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals are some of the most widespread contaminants affecting marine ecosystems, urgently needing effective and sustainable remediation solutions. Microbial-based bioremediation is gaining increasing interest as an effective, economically and environmentally sustainable strategy. Here, we hypothesized that the heavily polluted coastal area facing the Sarno River mouth, which discharges >3 tons of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and ∼15 tons of heavy metals (HMs) into the sea annually, hosts unique microbiomes including marine bacteria useful for PAHs and HMs bioremediation. We thus enriched the microbiome of marine sediments, contextually selecting for HM-resistant bacteria. The enriched mixed bacterial culture was subjected to whole-DNA sequencing, metagenome-assembled-genomes (MAGs) annotation, and further sub-culturing to obtain the major bacterial species as pure strains. We obtained two novel isolates corresponding to the two most abundant MAGs (Alcanivorax xenomutans strain-SRM1 and Halomonas alkaliantarctica strain-SRM2), and tested their ability to degrade PAHs and remove HMs. Both strains exhibited high PAHs degradation (60–100%) and HMs removal (21–100%) yield, and we described in detail >60 genes in their MAGs to unveil the possible genetic basis for such abilities. Most promising yields (∼100%) were obtained towards naphthalene, pyrene and lead. We propose these novel bacterial strains and related genetic repertoire to be further exploited for effective bioremediation of marine environments contaminated with both PAHs and HMs
Day 2: Woodland Heritage Field Weekend 2022: Ennerdale and Thornthwaite Forests
Get PDFA healthy number of members and friends gathered, shaded from the hot summer sun by canopies of beech and sycamore surrounding the Peil Wyke offices of Forestry England. Guy Corbett-Marshall introduced Gareth Browning, our host for the day. As with all professionally organised forest site visits, we first followed biosecurity protocols and were then given an overview of key health and safety. The highest risks of the day? Lymes diseases contracted from tick bites (1 – 2% of ticks found in Forestry England managed forests were reported to carry the disease). And snake bites – adders are found in the forests in this part of the world: hospitals in Carlisle and Kendal have anti-venom!A huge range of topics were covered during the day, far too much for this article. Hence, an attempt is made here to organise the visit into themes and key learning highlights, so that those unable to attend might gain a scrap or two of the wisdom, knowledge and enthusiasm so generously shared by Gareth. Any errors are those of the author.<br/
Better Living with Non‑memory‑led Dementia: protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a web‑based caregiver educational programme
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Non-memory-led dementias such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are low prevalent and often affect individuals under the age of 65. Tailored educational and support resources for caregivers of people living with these dementia phenotypes are scarce and unevenly distributed geographically. Web-based educational programmes are emerging as promising alternatives to improve caregiver self-efficacy and well-being. Here, we present the protocol of a study aiming to assess the feasibility of a co-produced online educational programme for caregivers of people living PCA, PPA and bvFTD: the Better Living with Non-memory-led Dementia programme.METHODS: A randomised controlled feasibility trial will be conducted on a sample of 30 caregivers of people living with PCA, PPA and bvFTD. Participants will be recruited among members of the support organisation Rare Dementia Support (based at UCL in the UK). The intervention group will be given access to an 8-week co-produced web-based educational programme consisting of 6 modules addressing education about PCA, PPA and bvFTD and support strategies for the person with dementia and for the caregiver. The control group will receive treatment as usual (TAU). Feasibility will be measured through feasibility of recruitment, clinical measurement tools and acceptability. Clinical measures will be used to assess preliminary efficacy and data on completion rates, missing data and variability used to decide on measures to be included in a full-scale trial. Allocation ratio will be 2:1 (intervention:control) stratified by diagnosis. Feasibility of recruitment and acceptability will be assessed. Clinical measures will be administered at baseline and 8-week and 3-month post-randomisation. The control group will be offered access to the intervention at the completion of data collection. Participants will be unblinded, and all measures will be self-reported online.DISCUSSION: Online-delivered educational programmes show potential for improving care competency of caregivers and may contribute to overcoming geographical inequalities in local provision of support services. This pilot study will inform a fully powered international trial to determine the effectiveness of Better Living with Non-memory-led Dementia.TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been registered prospectively on the Clinical Trials Registry on 1st September 2022, registration number NCT05525377.</p
Quantifying Social Semantics: An Inclusive Definition of Socialness and Ratings for 8,388 English Words
Get PDFIt has been proposed that social experience plays an important role in the grounding of concepts, and socialness has been proffered as a fundamental organisational principle underpinning semantic representation in the human brain. However, the empirical support for these hypotheses is limited by inconsistencies in the way socialness has been defined and measured. To further advance theory, the field must establish a clearer working definition, and research efforts could be facilitated by the availability of an extensive set of socialness ratings for individual concepts. Therefore, in the current work, we employed a novel and inclusive definition to test the extent to which socialness is reliably perceived as a broad construct, and we report socialness norms for over 8000 English words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Our inclusive socialness measure shows good reliability and validity, and our analyses suggest that the socialness ratings capture aspects of word meaning which are distinct to those measured by other pertinent semantic constructs, including concreteness and emotional valence. Finally, in a series of regression analyses, we show for the first time that the socialness of a word's meaning explains unique variance in participant performance on lexical tasks. Our dataset of socialness norms has considerable item overlap with those used in both other lexical/semantic norms and in available behavioural mega-studies. They can help target testable predictions about brain and behaviour derived from multiple representation theories and neurobiological accounts of social semantics.</p