Food convergent innovation webinar series : pulse program

Convergent innovation (CI) for food, refers to the point of convergence of food, targets for sustainable development, and affordable healthcare. The article describes this “sweet spot” in terms of: what consumers want; what they need for vitality and health; what they can and want to pay; what the planet can offer sustainably; and what the agriculture and food sectors produce in a cost-effective and profitable manner. A CI for food webinar series has been developed, with features on legumes, pulses and plant breeding; part of a scaling up strategy to accelerate what pulses can contribute as food solutions to sustainable development

The Relationship between Multiple Health Behaviours and Brachial Artery Reactivity

Background. The effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle on endothelial function (EF) have only been examined separately. The relative contributions of these behaviours on EF have therefore not been compared. Purpose. To compare the relative associations between these four risk factors and brachial artery reactivity in the same sample. Methods. 328 patients referred for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) exercise stress tests completed a nuclear-medicine-based forearm hyperaemic reactivity test. Self-reported exercise behaviour, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption were collected and waist circumference was measured. Results. Adjusting for relevant covariates, logistic regression analyses revealed that waist circumference, abstinence from alcohol, and past smoking significantly predicted poor brachial artery reactivity while physical activity did not. Only waist circumference predicted continuous variations in EF. Conclusions. Central adiposity, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits but not physical activity are each independent predictors of poor brachial artery reactivity in patients with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease

Animal behaviour: task differentiation by personality in spider groups

Dispatch: In social animals, group efficiency is often assumed to increase with task differentiation, but this requires that individuals are better than generalists at the task they specialize in. A new study finds that individual Anelosimus studiosus spiders do predominantly perform the task they excel at, in line with their individual personality type, when they are placed in groups

Molecular gas in the inner 0.7kpc-radius ring of M31

The study of the gas kinematic in the central 1.5kpc x 1.5kpc region of M31 has revealed several surprises. The starting point of this investigation was the detection at the IRAM-30m telescope of molecular gas with very large line splittings up to 260km/s within the beam (40 pc). In this region, which is known for its low gas content, we also detect an ionised gas outflow in the circumnuclear region (within 75pc from the centre) extending to the whole area in X-ray. Relying on atomic, ionised, and molecular gas, we account for most observables with a scenario that assumes that a few hundreds Myr ago, M31 underwent a frontal collision with M32, which triggered some star-formation activity in the centre, and this collision explains the special configuration of M31 with two rings observed at 0.7kpc and 10kpc. The inner disc (whose rotation is detected in HI and ionised gas ([NII])) has thus been tilted (inclination: 43deg, PA: 70deg) with respect to the main disc (inclination: 77deg, PA: 35deg). One of the CO velocity components is compatible with this inner disc, while the second one comes from a tilted ring-like material with 40deg inclination and PA=-35deg. The relic star formation estimated by previous works to have occurred more than 100Myr ago could have been triggered by the collision and could be linked to the outflow detected in the ionised gas. Last, we demonstrate that the amplitude of the line splittings detected in CO centred on the systemic velocity with a relatively high spatial resolution (40pc) cannot be accounted for by a possible weak bar that is roughly aligned along the minor axis. Although M31 has a triaxial bulge, there are no bar indicators in the gas component (photometry, no strong skewness of the isovelocities, etc.).Comment: 20 pages, 20 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepte

Drilling Addendum to Resource Assessment of Low- and Moderate-Temperature Geothermal Waters in Calistoga, Napa County, California

This addendum report presents the results of the California Division of Mines and Geology (CDMG) drilling program at Calistoga, California, which was the final geothermal-resource assessment investigation performed under terms of the second year contract (1979-80) between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the CDMG under the State Coupled Program. This report is intended to supplement information presented in CDMG's technical report for the project year, ''Resource Assessment of Low- and Moderate-Temperature Geothermal Waters in Calistoga, Napa County, California''. During the investigative phase of the CDMG's Geothermal Project, over 200 well-driller's reports were obtained from the Department of Water Resources (DWR). It was hoped that the interpretation and correlation of these logs would reveal the subsurface geology of the Upper Napa Valley and also provide a check for the various geophysical surveys that were performed in the course of the study. However, these DWR driller logs proved to be inadequate due to the brief, non-technical, and erroneous descriptions contained on the logs. As a result of the lack of useable drill-hole data, and because information was desired from,deeper horizons, it became evident that drilling some exploratory holes would be necessary in order to obtain physical evidence of the stratigraphy and aquifers in the immediate Calistoga area. Pursuant to this objective, a total of twelve sites were selected--four under jurisdiction of Napa County and eight under jurisdiction of the City of Calistoga. A moratorium is currently in existence within Napa County on most geothermal drilling, and environmental and time constraints precluded CDMG from obtaining the necessary site permits within the county. However, a variance was applied for and obtained from the City of Calistoga to allow CDMG to drill within the city limits. With this areal constraint and also funding limits in mind, six drilling sites were selected on the basis of (1) proximity to areas where geophysical surveys had been performed, (2) accessibility of the site for drill rig setup, and (3) favorability for obtaining the maximum information possible concerning the geology and the resources. Necessary landowner permission and permits were secured for these sites, and actual drilling began on December 17, 1980. Drilling was terminated on February 4, 1981, with the completion of three holes that ranged in depth from 205 to 885 feet. Use of a relatively new drilling technique called the Dual Tube Method enabled the collection of precise subsurface data of a level of detail never before obtained in the Calistoga area. As a result, a totally new and unexpected picture of the geothermal reservoir conditions there has been obtained, and is outlined in this addendum report

CCR6, a CC Chemokine Receptor that Interacts with Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 3α and Is Highly Expressed in Human Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells initiate immune responses by ferrying antigen from the tissues to the lymphoid organs for presentation to lymphocytes. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this migratory behavior. We have identified a chemokine receptor which appears to be selectively expressed in human dendritic cells derived from CD34+ cord blood precursors, but not in dendritic cells derived from peripheral blood monocytes. When stably expressed as a recombinant protein in a variety of host cell backgrounds, the receptor shows a strong interaction with only one chemokine among 25 tested: the recently reported CC chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 3α. Thus, we have designated this receptor as the CC chemokine receptor 6. The cloning and characterization of a dendritic cell CC chemokine receptor suggests a role for chemokines in the control of the migration of dendritic cells and the regulation of dendritic cell function in immunity and infection

Positive and negative affect is related to experiencing chest pain during exercise-induced myocardial ischemia

© 2017 by the American Psychosomatic Society. Objective: Silent myocardial ischemia is thought to be associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes due to a lack of perception of pain cues that initiate treatment seeking. Negative affect (NA) has been associated with increased pain reporting and positive affect (PA) with decreased pain reporting, but these psychological factors have not been examined within the context of myocardial ischemia. This study evaluated the associations between PA, NA, and chest pain reporting in patients with and without ischemia during exercise testing. Methods: A total of 246 patients referred for myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography exercise stress testing completed the positive and negative affect schedule-expanded version, a measure of PA and NA. Presence of chest pain and myocardial ischemia were evaluated using standardized protocols. Results: Logistic regression analyses revealed that for every 1-point increase in NA, there was a 13% higher chance for ischemic patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.13; 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.26) and an 11% higher chance in nonischemic patients (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.19) to report chest pain. A significant interaction of PA and NA on chest pain reporting (ß = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.002 to 0.031) was also observed; nonischemic patients with high NA and PA reported more chest pain (57%) versus patients with low NA and low PA (13%), with high NA and low PA (17%), and with high PA and low NA (7%). Conclusions: Patients who experience higher NA are more likely to report experiencing chest pain. In patients without ischemia, high NA and PA was also associated with a higher likelihood of reporting chest pain. Results suggest that high levels of PA as well as NA may increase the experience and/or reporting of chest pain