An analytical model for bore-driven run-up

We use a hodograph transformation and a boundary integral method to derive a new analytical solution to the shallow-water equations describing bore-generated run-up on a plane beach. This analytical solution differs from the classical Shen-Meyer runup solution in giving significantly deeper and less asymmetric swash flows, and also by predicting the inception of a secondary bore in both the backwash and the uprush in long surf. We suggest that this solution provides a significantly improved model for flows including swash events and the run-up following breaking tsunamis

REPEATABILITY OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE ON A SANDY BEACH ACROSS MULTIPLE TIMESCALES

The swash zone is a highly dynamic region of the nearshore in terms of both hydro- and sediment dynamics. Previous work has demonstrated that the majority of swash events transport only small amounts of sediment and net beachface volume change over several hours tends to be small. However, a small number of individual swash events can deposit or remove hundreds of kilograms of sediment per metre width of beach. These events are typically associated with swash flows that involve one or more highly turbulent swash-swash interactions, causing enhanced suspension and transport of sediment (Blenkinsopp et al. 2011). The timing and location of these interactions is complex and small changes in either can lead to very different local flow conditions. The complexity of these flows make sediment transport prediction on a swash-by-swash basis very challenging, and raises the question whether deterministic physical and numerical modelling of swash sediment transport is warranted. </jats:p

Beach Profile Changes under Sea Level Rise in Laboratory Flume Experiments at Different Scale

Laboratory wave flume experiments have been used to provide improved understanding of beach profile evolution under different wave and water level conditions. However, the understanding of the processes involved in the evolution of beach profile under Sea Level Rise (SLR) toward equilibrium is unclear. Two similar, but distorted experiments were performed at large and medium scale in order to study the qualitative morphological changes involved in beach profile evolution under SLR. Both experiments showed similar beach profile evolution. The profile change predicted by the Profile Translation Model (PTM) and the Bruun Rule underestimated the observed reatreat in both experiments. The length of the active beach profile increased under SLR. For the large scale experiment, the reflection coefficient of the beach decreased while the vertical runup increased significantly. The beachface changed faster than the outer surf zone, making the beach more dissipative

Experimental Evidence for the Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D on Bone: A Review

Animal models fed low calcium diets demonstrate a negative calcium balance and gross bone loss while the combination of calcium deficiency and oophorectomy enhances overall bone loss. Following oophorectomy the dietary calcium intake required to remain in balance increases some 5 fold, estimated to be approximately 1.3% dietary calcium. In the context of vitamin D and dietary calcium depletion, osteomalacia occurs only when low dietary calcium levels are combined with low vitamin D levels and osteoporosis occurs with either a low level of dietary calcium with adequate vitamin D status or when vitamin D status is low in the presence of adequate dietary calcium intake. Maximum bone architecture and strength is only achieved when an adequate vitamin D status is combined with sufficient dietary calcium to achieve a positive calcium balance. This anabolic effect occurs without a change to intestinal calcium absorption, suggesting dietary calcium and vitamin D have activities in addition to promoting a positive calcium balance. Each of the major bone cell types, osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes are capable of metabolizing 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25D) to 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) to elicit biological activities including reduction of bone resorption by osteoclasts and to enhance maturation and mineralization by osteoblasts and osteocytes. Each of these activities is consistent with the actions of adequate circulating levels of 25D observed in vivo

Spatial organization of active and inactive genes and noncoding DNA within chromosome territories

The position of genes within the nucleus has been correlated with their transcriptional activity. The interchromosome domain model of nuclear organization suggests that genes preferentially locate at the surface of chromosome territories. Conversely, high resolution analysis of chromatin fibers suggests that chromosome territories do not present accessibility barriers to transcription machinery

Correcting wave reflection estimates in the coastal zone

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Correcting wave reflection estimates in the coastal zone journaltitle: Coastal Engineering articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2016.09.004 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Bioactive Silver Phosphate/Polyindole Nanocomposites

Materials capable of releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) can display antibacterial and anticancer activity, and may also have anti-oxidant capacity if they suppress intracellular ROS (e.g. nitric oxide, NO) resulting in anti-inflammatory activity. Herein we report silver phosphate (Ag3PO4)/polyindole (Pln) nanocomposites which display antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity, and have therefore potential for a variety of biomedical applications

EMAGE—Edinburgh Mouse Atlas of Gene Expression: 2008 update

EMAGE (http://genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk/Emage/database) is a database of in situ gene expression patterns in the developing mouse embryo. Domains of expression from raw data images are spatially integrated into a set of standard 3D virtual mouse embryos at different stages of development, allowing data interrogation by spatial methods. Sites of expression are also described using an anatomy ontology and data can be queried using text-based methods. Here we describe recent enhancements to EMAGE which include advances in spatial search methods including: a refined local spatial similarity search algorithm, a method to allow global spatial comparison of patterns in EMAGE and subsequent hierarchical-clustering, and spatial searches across multiple stages of development. In addition, we have extended data access by the introduction of web services and new HTML-based search interfaces, which allow access to data that has not yet been spatially annotated. We have also started incorporating full 3D images of gene expression that have been generated using optical projection tomography (OPT)

Assessing the risk of carbon dioxide emissions from blue carbon ecosystems

“Blue carbon” ecosystems, which include tidal marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows, have large stocks of organic carbon (Corg) in their soils. These carbon stocks are vulnerable to decomposition and – if degraded – can be released to the atmosphere in the form of CO2. We present a framework to help assess the relative risk of CO2 emissions from degraded soils, thereby supporting inclusion of soil Corg into blue carbon projects and establishing a means to prioritize management for their carbon values. Assessing the risk of CO2 emissions after various kinds of disturbances can be accomplished through knowledge of both the size of the soil Corg stock at a site and the likelihood that the soil Corg will decompose to CO2