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Let the riverscape grow! Riverscape rewilding restores lateral connectivity and promotes geomorphic recovery in a Scottish gravel-bed river
No full textPlacement of in-channel large wood is a popular tool in process-based river restoration. In degraded streams lacking naturally recruited large wood, it can be used to reinstate fluvial processes and encourage a river to self- heal with minimal intervention. Its use is becoming common practice in regions where riverscape wood available for natural recruitment is sparse owing to long-term land management approaches. To re-establish wood supply, restoration of riparian woodland often accompanies in-channel large wood placement. Post-restoration monitoring is, however, rarely carried out to gather evidence on geomorphic responses to large wood placement and recruitment, and riverscape rewilding. To assess evolution of post-restoration riverscape wood dynamics, we use a decadal-scale morphological dataset of a “working with natural processes” restoration approach, with evidence from Allt Lorgy, Scotland. We apply automated geomorphic analysis tools to map geomorphic change and geomorphic units, orthomosaic aerial imagery to map in-channel large wood and LiDAR to map regenerating trees. Results show that process-based restoration with the addition of large wood enhances lateral connectivity and geomorphic recovery in a gravel-bed river with high recovery potential. Placed large wood reinstates natural processes, augmenting diagonal bar complexes, promoting channel widening, and forcing diverse geomorphic unit assemblages. Natural recruitment of large wood increases post-restoration, with storage occurring on diagonal bar complexes. Deer fencing of the scheme facilitates patches of regenerative growth of native tree species across the riverscape, predominantly on disturbed ground. Findings support the concept of riverscape rewilding in Scotland to encourage the development of healthy, self-sustaining, resilient riverscapes
Laser welding of crystalline sapphire for use in future generation gravitational wave detector suspensions
No full textSince the first direct detection of a gravitational wave signal in 2015, advancements in technology have resulted in incremental improvements to the current detector network. Future detectors will exploit new technologies to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in performance by increasing their scale and directly targeting thermal and other noise sources. With many next-generation gravitational wave detectors planning to implement crystalline materials as replacements for fused silica, there is an increasing need for novel techniques in suspension jointing. This work will report on the development and characterisation of a repeatable and repairable laser welding technique for crystalline sapphire. Utilizing a CO2 laser within a crystal growth machine, specifically designed for laser-heated pedestal growth, we established a reliable method for laser welding sapphire stock pieces of various millimetre scale diameters. Experimental characterisation revealed an upper limit of the weld region to be ≤ 200 µm and no measurable detriment to the thermal conductivity or tensile strength due to a welded joint. A thermal conductivity of 4587 Wm−1 K−1 at 20 K and a minimum unbroken tensile strength of 1.1 GPa were measured on a welded sample. In addition, cryogenic mechanical loss measurements produced a lowest loss of 3.2 ×10−7 at 14 K allowing a weld loss estimate of 5.1 x 10-6. These initial findings indicate significant potential for sapphire welding as a viable concept in next-generation cryogenic detector suspensions and provide a strong justification for further development of this jointing method
Trapped in dichotomies and individualism: the Western criminal legal system’s failure to capture complexity
No full textThis article critiques the Western criminal legal systems’ individualism and reliance on dichotomies. Grounding our analysis in micro-level findings based on interviews from two studies on the experiences of repeatedly criminalised people in the UK, we aim to show how these dichotomies– criminal/non-criminal behaviour; guilt/ innocence at event level; victim/offender flatten reality beyond recognition and allow individual(s) to be blamed and punished. In doing so, this paper seeks to create space beyond the societal ‘captive mind’, which uncritically accepts this version of criminal ‘justice’ as the right way to respond to ‘offending’. Drawing on decolonization thought and non-state justice mechanisms, it joins calls for different ways of seeing
ZFT is the major iron and zinc transporter in Toxoplasma gondii
Get PDFTransition metals, such as iron and zinc, are indispensable trace elements for eukaryotic life, acting as co-factors in essential processes ranging from metabolism to DNA replication. These metals can be transported into cells by an evolutionary-conserved family of metal transporters; however, how the ubiquitous mammalian parasite Toxoplasma gondii acquires essential metals has been unknown. Here, we have identified and characterised the first iron and zinc importer in T. gondii. This transporter, named ZFT, localised to the parasite plasma membrane and is essential for the parasite’s life cycle. We find ZFT is regulated by iron availability and overexpression sensitises cells to excess iron and zinc. Using a conditional knockdown system, we find that knockdown of ZFT leads to reduction in mitochondrial respiration and a switch to a more quiescent lifecycle stage. To confirm transport activity, we find that knockdown of ZFT leads to a reduction in parasite-associated zinc and iron, and ZFT expression complements loss of zinc transporter activity in a yeast model. Further, expression of ZFT in Xenopus oocytes demonstrates direct uptake of iron, which is outcompeted in the presence of zinc. Overall, we have identified the first metal uptake transporter in T. gondii and demonstrated the importance of iron and zinc to the parasite. This finding advances our understanding of how this obligate intracellular parasite acquires nutrients from its host
Pathology and parasite distribution in mice challenged with Toxoplasma gondii from different geographical origins
Get PDFToxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a zoonotic parasite, can cause severe disease in warm-blooded animals. Pathological changes in murine tissues infected with different T. gondii isolates were studied to establish factors influencing lesion severity and parasite burden. In Study A, mice were orally inoculated with genotype #3, #6 or #8 oocysts. In Study B, mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with genotype #1, #3, #6, #13, #141 or #265 tachyzoites. Mice were euthanised serially and tissues processed for histopathology. In Study A, genotype #6 caused pathology in the liver, brain, lung, intestine and kidney, predominantly associated with tachyzoites, while #8 caused mainly moderate pathology in the brain, lung and liver, usually associated with tissue pseudocysts/cysts. Genotype #3 occasionally caused mild pathology, but the parasite was not visible in examined tissues. In Study B, genotypes #13 and #6 caused systemic infections associated with tachyzoites. Genotypes #3, #141 and #265 caused moderate pathology associated with pseudocysts/cysts in the brain and tachyzoites in peripheral organs. Genotype #1 caused mild pathology associated with pseudocysts/cysts in organs assessed. Comparison of genotype #6 between studies showed parasite stage and inoculation method did not affect the severity of pathology, but for #3, pathology was more severe when mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with tachyzoites compared to those inoculated orally with oocysts. This study confirmed route of infection, T. gondii strain, life stage and dose influence infection outcome and ultimately contributes to the refinement of T. gondii pathogenesis knowledge, which is fundamental for toxoplasmosis management and treatment
AI-driven robotic crystal explorer for rapid polymorph identification
Get PDFCrystallisation is central to purification and to determining structure and material properties, yet small changes in conditions can produce many different polymorphs with distinct behaviours. Because crystallisation depends on multiple variables including solvent, temperature, pressure, and atmosphere and often proceeds unpredictably, mapping these outcomes is slow and expensive. Here we introduce a robotic crystal search engine that explores crystallisation space efficiently and autonomously. The platform couples high-throughput liquid handling with a closed-loop computer-vision system combined with human supervision that uses machine learning to detect crystals, distinguish polymorphs, and identify previously unseen forms. Using a benchmark polymorphic compound, we show that the robot can rapidly navigate a high-dimensional solvent space, quantify relative polymorph yields directly from images, and build a phase diagram without recourse to crystallography. This approach reveals the full set of polymorphs accessible under given conditions and identifies the optimal conditions for producing each one
What you see is not what is there: mechanisms, models and methods for point pattern deviations
Get PDFMany natural systems are observed as point patterns in time, space, or space and time. Examples include plant and cellular systems, animal colonies, earthquakes and wildfires. In practice, the locations of the points are not always observed correctly. However, in the point process literature, there has been relatively scant attention paid to the issue of errors in the location of points. In this paper, we discuss how the observed point pattern may deviate from the actual point pattern and review methods and models that exist to handle such deviations. The discussion is supplemented with several scientific illustrations
Microbiome research in practice: priorities for clinical translation and impact
Get PDFBackground:
Rapid advances in microbiome science have sparked clinical and commercial enthusiasm for interventions, yet translation into practice risks outpacing both mechanistic understanding and the infrastructure required for safe adoption.
Objectives:
To outline a coordinated research, clinical, social, and policy agenda for advancing safe, effective, and equitable microbiome-based interventions.
Sources:
We convened an interdisciplinary Royal Society-funded expert workshop (Leeds, UK, October 2024) with international leaders in microbiome science, clinical trials, regulation, and social science. Thematic analysis of workshop discussions and written contributions identified priority domains for translation.
Content:
Three intersecting priorities emerged: scientific credibility, practical viability, and stakeholder engagement. Scientific credibility demands investment in multiomic and strain-level characterisation of host-microbiome interactions on a large scale, benchmarking of clinical and microbiological endpoints, and harmonisation of trial conduct and reporting. Clinical adoption requires fit-for-purpose regulation, diversified investment to address funding bottlenecks, and coordinated capacity building. Meaningful stakeholder engagement with clinicians, patients, policymakers, and the public is essential to foster confidence, develop clinically relevant research questions, and ensure equitable implementation of any new technology.
Implications:
To realise the clinical impact of microbiome interventions, sustained collaboration across disciplines is essential. This Review offers a translational roadmap and actionable priorities to accelerate safe, effective, and equitable microbiome-based interventions – ensuring the field fulfils its clinical potential and delivers real-world impact
Characterising the shear, stretch and in-plane bending response of a pure-unidirectional non-crimp fabric
Get PDFThe in-plane deformation kinematics of a pure-Unidirectional Non-Crimp Fabric (pure-UDNCF) is investigated using novel and existing experimental methods to characterise its shear, tensile, and in-plane bending responses under controlled loading. A pure-UDNCF is defined as a fabric in which stabilising tows are absent in the transverse direction relative to the primary tow orientation. The stitching threads in this fabric are made of polyamide, a highly compliant material that allows significant stretch, introducing a low-energy deformation mode that is relatively absent in biaxial engineering fabrics and quasi-UDNCFs (UDNCFs with inextensible stitching and transverse stabilising fibres). To fully characterise its forming behaviour, several novel testing methods are introduced that generate well-defined combinations of fabric shear, in-plane bending and stitch tensile strain. The total normalised axial force measured in the tests is subsequently decoupled into three contributions from shear, tensile strain in the stitch direction, and in-plane bending of the tows. An important finding is that when tested in the picture frame test, in-plane bending generates more resistance to specimen deformation than shearing of the fabric. The testing protocol and resulting data can be used to create appropriate constitutive models for pure-UDNCFs
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