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Developing techniques for mass spectrometry-based detection of oxidative DNA and nucleotide damage
No full textSoil characteristics and fertility of the unique jarrah forest of southwestern Australia, with particular consideration of plant nutrition and land rehabilitation
Get PDFThe jarrah forest is a natural ecosystem with significant endemism in the flora and fauna. The forest stands on the western edge of the ancient Great Plateau of Western Australia on the granitic shield of the Yilgarn craton (2.5 Gya). The long-term migration of soluble iron and aluminium led to the formation of bauxite ore. The regolith ore is bound by surficial topsoil and deep pallid zone kaolinite clays, primarily used in land rehabilitation. We investigated the chemical fertility of the substrates, along with key physical properties. We found the capacity of these soils to provide a stable growth medium differed considerably in their ability to retain and supply nutrients. These substrates are deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrients. In the topsoil, 15% of total P is plant-available, while in the pallid zone layer, only 1% of total P is available. 31P-NMR showed no organic P in the pallid zone, whereas the topsoil had significant organic P and, consequently, a supply of phosphate ions. This shows the importance of organic P in the topsoil for ecosystem nutrition when inorganic fertilisers are not applied in state-of-the-art restoration schemes
Spatial and non-spatial feature binding impairments in visual working memory in schizophrenia.
Get PDFWorking memory (WM) impairments are well recognized in schizophrenia patients (PSZ) and contribute to poor psycho-social outcomes in this population. Distinct neural networks underlay the ability to encode and recall visual and spatial information raising the possibility that profile of visual working memory performance may help pinpoint dysfunctional neural correlates in schizophrenia. This study assessed the resolution and associative aspects of visual working memory deficits in schizophrenia and whether these deficits arise during encoding or maintenance processes. A total of 60 participants (30 PSZ and 30 healthy controls) matched in age, gender and education assessed on a modified object in place (OiPT), a delayed non-match-to-sample (DNMST) and a delayed spatial estimation (DSET) task. Patients demonstrated lower accuracy than controls in binding visual features of the same object and recognizing novel objects as well as lower precision recalling the location of a memorized target. Moreover, response choice set size affected recognition accuracy more in PSZ than controls. However, delay duration affected spatial recall precisions, binding, and recognition accuracy equally in the two groups. Our results suggest that visual working memory (vWM) impairments in schizophrenia predominantly reflect spatial and non-spatial binding deficits, with largely preserved discrete feature information. Moreover, these impairments likely arise more during encoding than during maintenance. These binding deficits may reflect impaired effective neural functional connectivity observed in schizophrenia
Social Return on Investment of Social Prescribing via a Diabetes Technician for Preventing Type 2 Diabetes Progression
Get PDFIn Wales, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has increased from 7.3% in 2016 to 8% in 2020, creating a major concern for the National Health Service (NHS). Social prescribing (SP) has been found to decrease T2DM prevalence and improve wellbeing. The MY LIFE programme, a scheme evaluated between June 2021 and February 2022 in the Conwy West Primary Care Cluster, aimed to prevent T2DM by referring prediabetic patients with a BMI of ≥30 to a diabetes technician (DT), who then signposted patients to community-based SP programmes, such as the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS), KindEating, and Slimming World. Although some patients engaged with SP, others chose to connect only with the DT. A Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis was conducted to evaluate those patients who engaged with the DT plus SP, and those who connected solely with the DT. Relevant participant outcomes included ‘mental wellbeing’ and ‘good overall health’, which were measured at baseline (n = 54) and at the eight-week follow-up (n = 24). The estimated social value for every GBP 1 invested for participants who engaged with the ‘DT only’ ranged from GBP 4.67 to 4.70. The social value for participants who engaged with the ‘DT plus SP programme’ ranged from GBP 4.23 to 5.07. The results indicated that most of the social value generated was associated with connecting with the DT
Language Report Welsh
Get PDFIn this chapter, based on Prys et al. (2022), an update to the META-NET White Paper (Evas 2014), we present Language Technology (LT) for the Welsh language, providing an overview of the status of Welsh in Wales and a summary of the Welsh writing system and typology. We describe key tools and our recommendations for Welsh LT and associated resource development.In this chapter, based on Prys et al. (2022), an update to the META-NET White Paper (Evas 2014), we present Language Technology (LT) for the Welsh language, providing an overview of the status of Welsh in Wales and a summary of the Welsh writing system and typology. We describe key tools and our recommendations for Welsh LT and associated resource development
Does Social and Economic Disadvantage Predict Lower Engagement with Parenting Interventions? An Integrative Analysis Using Individual Participant Data
Get PDF: There is a social gradient to the determinants of health; low socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to reduced educational attainment and employment prospects, which in turn affect physical and mental wellbeing. One goal of preventive interventions, such as parenting programs, is to reduce these health inequalities by supporting families with difficulties that are often patterned by SES. Despite these intentions, a recent individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of the Incredible Years (IY) parenting program found no evidence for differential benefit by socioeconomic disadvantage (Gardner et al. in Public Health Resesearch 5, 1–144, 2017). However, it did not examine whether this was influenced by engagement in the intervention. Using intervention arm data from this pooled dataset (13 trials; N = 1078), we examined whether there was an SES gradient to intervention attendance (an indicator of engagement). We ran mixed-effects Poisson regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for program attendance for each of five (binary) markers of SES: low income; unemployment; low education status; teen parent; and lone parent status. The multilevel structure of the data allowed for comparison of within-trial and between-trial effects, including tests for contextual effects. We found evidence that low SES was associated with reduced attendance at parenting programs—an 8–19% reduction depending on the SES marker. However, there was no evidence that this association is impacted by differences in SES composition between trials or by the attendance levels of higher-SES families. The findings underscore the importance of developing and prioritizing strategies that enable engagement in parenting interventions and encourage program attendance by low-SES families
Coral reefs benefit from reduced land–sea impacts under ocean warming
Get PDFCoral reef ecosystems are being fundamentally restructured by local human impacts and climate-driven marine heatwaves that trigger mass coral bleaching and mortality . Reducing local impacts can increase reef resistance to and recovery from bleaching . However, resource managers lack clear advice on targeted actions that best support coral reefs under climate change and sector-based governance means most land- and sea-based management efforts remain siloed . Here we combine surveys of reef change with a unique 20-year time series of land-sea human impacts that encompassed an unprecedented marine heatwave in Hawai'i. Reefs with increased herbivorous fish populations and reduced land-based impacts, such as wastewater pollution and urban runoff, had positive coral cover trajectories predisturbance. These reefs also experienced a modest reduction in coral mortality following severe heat stress compared to reefs with reduced fish populations and enhanced land-based impacts. Scenario modelling indicated that simultaneously reducing land-sea human impacts results in a three- to sixfold greater probability of a reef having high reef-builder cover four years postdisturbance than if either occurred in isolation. International efforts to protect 30% of Earth's land and ocean ecosystems by 2030 are underway . Our results reveal that integrated land-sea management could help achieve coastal ocean conservation goals and provide coral reefs with the best opportunity to persist in our changing climate. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.
A method for Critical and Creative Visualisation Design-Thinking
Get PDFVisualisation design requires critical thought: to understand important facets, investigate design suitability and explore alternatives. But, especially for learners, it can be difficult to structure a critical reflection of creative solutions. We introduce the Critical Design Survey (CDS): structured method that facilitates visualisation design analysis through reflective and critical thought. Applying the CDS helps someone to structure critical thought, provides a unified method that can be readily taught, learners can actively engage with the process and directly use it to write a critical-thinking report of their design ideas. The CDS contains three steps: Step 1, summarise and write down the essence of the idea. Step 2, perform an in-depth critique (we define 30 questions structured in six perspectives). Step 3, synthesise the ideas, implications, and decide on the next steps. We present the CDS, describe our design process (critical thinking workshops, talk aloud, and student use), and describe our use in teaching visualisation to undergraduate and postgraduate students
Evaluating View Management for Situated Visualization in Web-based Handheld AR
Get PDFAs visualization makes the leap to mobile and situated settings, where data is increasingly integrated with the physical world using mixed reality, there is a corresponding need for effectively managing the immersed user’s view of situated visualizations. In this paper we present an analysis of view management techniques for situated 3D visualizations in handheld augmented reality: a shadowbox, a world-in miniature metaphor, and an interactive tour. We validate these view management solutions through a concrete implementation of all techniques within a situated visualization framework built using a web-based augmented reality visualization toolkit, and present results from a user study in augmented reality accessed using handheld mobile devices