Variance in the Accuracy of Tidal Levels with Increasing Data Length

The Highest Astronomical Tide level (HAT) is derived from sea level datasets of sufficient length to encapsulate the lunar nodal cycle. HAT based on datasets of 35, 90, 180 and 400 days was determined for 14 sites. The difference between HAT based on short datasets and on 20-year datasets indicate that short datasets gave an average difference of 0.22 to 0.24 m. Increasing the length to 400 days decreased the difference to 0.06 m. Sites with diurnal form gave a larger difference of 0.4 to 0.9 metres. Inferring shallow water tidal constituents from the nearest longterm site reduced the difference to 0.15 to 0.19 m.La Máxima Pleamar Astronómica (HAT) se deriva a partir de conjuntos de datos del nivel del mar con longitud suficiente para englobar el ciclo nodal lunar. Se determinó la HAT para 14 sitios basándose en conjuntos de datos de 35, 90, 180 y 400 días. La diferencia entre HAT basadas en conjuntos de datos cortos y en conjuntos de datos de 20 años indica que los conjuntos de datos cortos proporcionaron una diferencia media de 0.22 a 0.24 m. Aumentar la longitud a 400 días redujo la diferencia a 0.06 m. Los sitios con forma diurna proporcionaron una diferencia mayor de 0.4 a 0.9 metros. Inferir los constituyentes de marea de aguas someras a partir del sitio a largo plazo más cercano redujo la diferencia a entre 0.15 y 0.19 m.Le niveau de la plus haute mer astronomique (PHMA) est dérivé de jeux de données sur le niveau de la mer d'une longueur suffisante pour englober le cycle nodal lunaire. La PHMA a été déterminée pour 14 sites, à partir d’ensembles de données de 35, 90, 180 et 400 jours. La différence entre la PHMA basée sur des jeux de données courts et sur des jeux de données de 20 ans indique que les jeux de données courts ont donné une différence moyenne de 0,22 à 0,24 m. L'augmentation de la longueur à 400 jours a diminué la différence à 0,06 m. Les sites avec une forme diurne ont donné une plus grande différence de 0,4 à 0,9 mètres. L’inférence déduction des composantes de la marée en eau peu profonde à partir du site à long terme le plus proche a réduit la différence à 0,15 à 0,19 m

A Coherent Tidal Datum for the Torres Strait

The Torres Strait is a complex waterway to the north of Australia linking the Arafura and Coral Seas. Sea level data from 13 islands were provided with the intention of validating the GPS extension of AUSGeoid98 to the Torres Strait. A comparison between the Australian Height Datum (AHD) determined from the AUSGeoid98 model and Mean Sea Level (MSL) identified differences of up to 1.57m. A coherent tidal datum was established with a seasonal adjustment to the long-term level from Thursday Island. The seasonally adjusted MSL from this study should be considered as an approximation of AHD in the Torres Strait.El Estrecho de Torres es un canal complejo al norte de Australia, que conecta los Mares de Arafura y Coral. Se proporcionaron datos del nivel del mar de 13 islas, con la intención de validar la extensión GPS de AUSGeoid98 al Estrecho de Torres. Una comparación entre el Plano de Referencia Australiano (AHD) determinado a partir del modelo AUSGeoid98 y el Nivel Medio del Mar (MSL) identificó diferencias de hasta 1,57m. Se creó un Datum de Mareas coherente con un reajuste de nivel estacional a largo plazo a partir de la Isla Thursday. El MSL reajustado estacionalmente a partir de este estudio debería ser considerado como una aproximación del AHD en el Estrecho de Torres.Le détroit de Torres est une voie navigable complexe au nord de l‘Australie, qui relie les mers d‘Arafura et de Coral. Les données sur le niveau de la mer de 13 îles ont été fournies dans l‘intention de valider l‘extension du GPS d‘AUSGeoid98 au détroit de Torres. Une comparaison entre le système de référence australien (AHD) déterminé à partir du modèle de AUSGeoid98 et le niveau moyen de la mer (MSL) a mis en évidence des différences allant jusqu‘à 1,57m. Un zéro des marées cohérent a été établi avec une correction saisonnière du niveau à long terme, à partir de Thursday Island. Le MSL corrigé des variations saisonnières de cette étude doit être considéré comme une approximation du AHD dans le détroit de Torres

Forensic electrochemistry: indirect electrochemical sensing of the components of the new psychoactive substance "Synthacaine"

“Synthacaine” is a New Psychoactive Substance which is, due to its inherent psychoactive properties, reported to imitate the effects of cocaine and is therefore consequently branded as “legal cocaine”. The only analytical approach reported to date for the sensing of “Synthacaine” is mass spectrometry. In this paper, we explore and evaluate a range of potential analytical techniques for its quantification and potential use in the field screening “Synthacaine” using Raman spectroscopy, presumptive (colour) testing, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemistry. HPLC analysis of street samples reveals that “Synthacaine” comprises a mixture of methiopropamine (MPA) and 2-aminoindane (2-AI). Raman spectroscopy and presumptive (colour) tests, the Marquis, Mandelin, Simon’s and Robadope test, are evaluated towards a potential in-the-field screening approach but are found to not be able to discriminate between the two when they are both present in the same sample, as is the case in the real street samples. We report for the first time a novel indirect electrochemical protocol for the sensing of MPA and 2-AI which is independently validated in street samples with HPLC. This novel electrochemical approach based upon one-shot disposable cost effective screen-printed graphite macroelectrodes holds potential for in-the-field screening for “Synthacaine”. Introduction In the last few years there has been a striking increase in the sale of “New Psychoactive Substances” (NPSs) formerly known as “legal highs”.1 These chemicals may be bought through the internet at low cost and are sometimes pure compounds which display highly similar chemical structures to existing controlled substances within the phenethylamine class. “Synthacaine” is a slang term derived from “synthetic” and “cocaine

Extreme water levels, waves and coastal impacts during a severe tropical cyclone in northeastern Australia: a case study for cross-sector data sharing

Severe tropical cyclone (TC) Debbie made landfall on the northern Queensland coast of Australia on 27 March 2017 after crossing the Great Barrier Reef as a slow-moving Category 4 system. Groups from industry, government and academia collected coastal hazard and impact data before, during and after the event and shared these data to produce a holistic picture of TC Debbie at the coast. Results showed the still water level exceeded the highest astronomical tide by almost a metre. Waves added a further 16&thinsp;% to water levels along the open coast, and were probably unprecedented for this area since monitoring began. In most places, coastal barriers were not breached and as a result there was net offshore sand transport. If landfall had occurred 2&thinsp;h earlier with the high tide, widespread inundation and overwash would have ensued. This paper provides a case study of effective cross-sector data sharing in a natural hazard context. It advocates for a shared information platform for coastal extremes in Australia to help improve the understanding and prediction of TC-related coastal hazards in the future.</p

Intoxicants and the invention of 'consumption'

In 1600 the word ‘consumption’ was a term of medical pathology describing the ‘wasting, petrification of things’. By 1700 it was also a term of economic discourse: ‘In commodities, the value rises as its quantity is less and vent greater, which depends upon it being preferred in its consumption’. The article traces the emergence of this key category of economic analysis to debates over the economy in the 1620s and subsequent disputes over the excise tax, showing how ‘consumption’ was an early term in the developing lexicon of political economy. In so doing the article demonstrates the important role of ‘intoxicants’ – i.e. addictive and intoxicating commodities like alcohols and tobaccos – in shaping these early meanings and uses of ‘consumption’. It outlines the discursive importance of intoxicants, both as the foci for discussions of ‘superfluous’ and ‘necessary’ consumption and the target of legislation on consumption. And it argues that while these discussions had an ideological dimension, or dimensions, they were also responses to material increases in the volume and diversity of intoxicants in early seventeenth-century England. By way of conclusion the article suggests the significance of the Low Countries as a point of reference for English writers, as well as a more capacious and semantically sensitive approach to changes in early-modern consumption practices

Genetically manipulated phages with improved pH resistance for oral administration in veterinary medicine

Orally administered phages to control zoonotic pathogens face important challenges, mainly related to the hostile conditions found in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). These include temperature, salinity and primarily pH, which is exceptionally low in certain compartments. Phage survival under these conditions can be jeopardized and undermine treatment. Strategies like encapsulation have been attempted with relative success, but are typically complex and require several optimization steps. Here we report a simple and efficient alternative, consisting in the genetic engineering of phages to display lipids on their surfaces. Escherichia coli phage T7 was used as a model and the E. coli PhoE signal peptide was genetically fused to its major capsid protein (10A), enabling phospholipid attachment to the phage capsid. The presence of phospholipids on the mutant phages was confirmed by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography, Dynamic Light Scattering and phospholipase assays. The stability of phages was analysed in simulated GIT conditions, demonstrating improved stability of the mutant phages with survival rates 102107 pfu.mL1 higher than wild-type phages. Our work demonstrates that phage engineering can be a good strategy to improve phage tolerance to GIT conditions, having promising application for oral administration in veterinary medicine.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and under the scope of the Project PTDC/BBB-BSS/6471/2014 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016678). Franklin L. Nobrega and Ana Rita Costa acknowledge FCT for grants SFRH/BD/86462/2012 and SFRH/BPD/94648/2013, respectively. Melvin F. Siliakus acknowledges funding from the Biobased Ecologically Balanced Sustainable Industrial Chemistry (BE-BASIC) foundation. Electron microscopy work was performed at the Wageningen Electron Microscopy Centre (WEMC) of Wageningen University

An Examination of Not-For-Profit Stakeholder Networks for Relationship Management: A Small-Scale Analysis on Social Media

Using a small-scale descriptive network analysis approach, this study highlights the importance of stakeholder networks for identifying valuable stakeholders and the management of existing stakeholders in the context of mental health not-for-profit services. We extract network data from the social media brand pages of three health service organizations from the U.S., U.K., and Australia, to visually map networks of 579 social media brand pages (represented by nodes), connected by 5,600 edges. This network data is analyzed using a collection of popular graph analysis techniques to assess the differences in the way each of the service organizations manage stakeholder networks. We also compare node meta-information against basic topology measures to emphasize the importance of effectively managing relationships with stakeholders who have large external audiences. Implications and future research directions are also discussed

Potency and selectivity of human EPI prostanoid receptor antagonists

NRC publication: Ye