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Tailoring the Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Sintered Parts
The ~ÂŁ1 million IMCRC-funded integrated project âPersonalised Sports Footwear: From
Elite to High Streetâ is investigating the use of Rapid Manufacturing to produce personalised
sports shoes, with the aim of enhancing performance, reducing injury, and providing improved
functionality.
Research has identified that, for sprinting, performance benefits can be achieved by
tuning the bending stiffness of a shoe to the characteristics of an individual athlete. This paper
presents research to date on several novel methods of influencing the mechanical properties of
Selective Laser Sintered shoe soles, with a particular focus on stiffness.Mechanical Engineerin
Harnessing Marine Renewable Energy from Poole Harbour: Case Study
Global warming and its impact on our environment, society, economies and security is one of the fundamental concerns of our time. In response, the United Kingdom government has put in place a legally binding target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on 1990 levels by 2050. The United Kingdom will need to achieve a tenfold expansion of energy supply from renewable sources by 2020 to meet its share of the European Union renewable energy target. The marine and coastal environmentâs renewable energy potential in Britain is high. It is estimated that it has 50% of the tidal energy, 35% of wave and 40% of wind resources in the European Union. Use of geothermal resources using heat pump technology is the least evolved sector, but in 2010 contributed to 0.7 TWh of energy and it is believed that non domestic heat pumps could contribute up to 22 TWh by 2020. In the Southwest of England, Poole Harbour has been recognised as a potential, highly predictable source of tidal and heat energy. Local groups are embarking on a feasibility study for harnessing this energy for the benefit of the community. The purpose of this article is to examine the potential conflict of interest between the laudable aims of promoting the use of renewable energy and of safeguarding ecosystems and their biodiversity. Using Poole Harbour as a case study, it will consider the environmental and economic costs and benefits of a Community Renewable Energy project (the Poole Tidal Energy Partnership) in the context of an area subject to a number of statutory and non-statutory designations to protect nationally and internationally important habitats and species. The paper identifies key environmental legislation, including spatial planning law and policy, which will facilitate exploring whether there is potential for reconciling what may be perceived as competing objectives for sustainable development
Origins and evolution of stomatal development
The fossil record suggests stomata-like pores were present on the surfaces of land plants over 400 million years ago.
Whether stomata arose once or whether they arose independently across newly evolving land plant lineages has long been
a matter of debate. In Arabidopsis, a genetic toolbox has been identified that tightly controls stomatal development and
patterning. This includes the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE, FAMA, and
ICE/SCREAMs (SCRMs), which promote stomatal formation. These factors are regulated via a signaling cascade, which
includes mobile EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) peptides to enforce stomatal spacing. Mosses and hornworts,
the most ancient extant lineages to possess stomata, possess orthologs of these Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) stomatal
toolbox genes, and manipulation in the model bryophyte Physcomitrella patens has shown that the bHLH and EPF
components are also required for moss stomatal development and patterning. This supports an ancient and tightly
conserved genetic origin of stomata. Here, we review recent discoveries and, by interrogating newly available plant
genomes, we advance the story of stomatal development and patterning across land plant evolution. Furthermore, we
identify potential orthologs of the key toolbox genes in a hornwort, further supporting a single ancient genetic origin of
stomata in the ancestor to all stomatous land plants
A community in transition: Analysis of health and wellâbeing in people living during and following aridification
This paper considers skeletal and dental lesions to assess the effects of aridification on two skeletal samples from the Bronze Age in what is now the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. This paper hypothesized that the sample from Qarn al-Harf (QAH) Tomb 6 would show a greater prevalence of skeletal and dental lesions in comparison with that from QAH Tomb 5, because QAH Tomb 6 dates to a period of aridification when compared with the wetter Wadi Suq period (~2000âB.C.). The skeletal remains from two tombs from QAH cemetery are studied: one dated to the transition period from the Umm an-Nar to Wadi Suq period (~2000âB.C.) (Tomb 6, nâ=â141) and one Wadi Suq period tomb (Tomb 5, nâ=â44; 2000â1600âB.C.). Skeletal and dental lesions, including carious lesions, antemortem tooth loss, dental enamel hypoplasia, periosteal new bone formation, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis, were recorded and used to assess differential lived experience. Findings from the two tombs are compared with five contemporary sites of the Umm an-Nar and Wadi Suq periods. Fisher's exact tests found more statistically significant differences in the prevalence of cribra orbitalia (pâ=â0.0050) and non-adult mortality (pâ=â0.0118) for the QAH Tomb 6 skeletal sample than that from QAH Tomb 5. No other skeletal or dental lesions were significantly different according to Fisher's exact tests. While not significant, periosteal new bone formation rates in QAH 6 in conjunction with cribra orbitalia rates suggest individuals were experiencing stressors that were not impacting QAH Tomb 5 individuals. Skeletal and dental lesion rates are not directly attributable to climate change; however, we argue that intense aridification around 2000âB.C. caused desiccated crops and an increased reliance on marine sources for QAH Tomb 6. This reliance likely promoted nutritionally deficient diets manifesting as observed higher rates of cribra orbitalia and periosteal new bone formation
Origins and evolution of stomatal development
The fossil record suggests stomata-like pores were present on the surfaces of land plants over 400 million years ago.
Whether stomata arose once or whether they arose independently across newly evolving land plant lineages has long been
a matter of debate. In Arabidopsis, a genetic toolbox has been identified that tightly controls stomatal development and
patterning. This includes the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE, FAMA, and
ICE/SCREAMs (SCRMs), which promote stomatal formation. These factors are regulated via a signaling cascade, which
includes mobile EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) peptides to enforce stomatal spacing. Mosses and hornworts,
the most ancient extant lineages to possess stomata, possess orthologs of these Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) stomatal
toolbox genes, and manipulation in the model bryophyte Physcomitrella patens has shown that the bHLH and EPF
components are also required for moss stomatal development and patterning. This supports an ancient and tightly
conserved genetic origin of stomata. Here, we review recent discoveries and, by interrogating newly available plant
genomes, we advance the story of stomatal development and patterning across land plant evolution. Furthermore, we
identify potential orthologs of the key toolbox genes in a hornwort, further supporting a single ancient genetic origin of
stomata in the ancestor to all stomatous land plants
Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning for Older Adults to Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis
Objectives
To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. Design
A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all Englishâlanguage articles published between 1990 and April 2016. Setting
Hospital or skilled nursing facility. Participants
Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting. Measurements
Readmission rates, length of and time to postâdischarge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge care. Results
Of 10,715 abstracts identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies provided sufficient detail to calculate readmission rates for treatment and control participants. Discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration were associated with a 25% fewer readmissions at 90 days (relative risk (RR) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62â0.91) and 24% fewer readmissions at 180 days (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64â0.90). The majority of studies reported statistically significant shorter time to readmission, shorter rehospitalization, and lower costs of postdischarge care among discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration. Conclusion
For older adults discharged to a community setting, the integration of caregivers into the discharge planning process reduces the risk of hospital readmission
Mobile applications for weather and climate information: their use and potential for smallholder farmers
Mobile phones are increasingly being used to provide smallholder farmers with agricultural
and related information. There is currently great interest in their scope to communicate
climate and weather information. Farmers consistently identify demand for weather
information and whilst ICTs may be one way of delivering this at scale there are concerns that
this should not be seen as a panacea. At a time when there have been a range of initiatives and
projects that have been implemented this paper seeks to draw lessons and identify key
considerations to inform the development of future mobile applications to provide climate
services to smallholder farmers. A literature review, interviews with key informants and
experts and 15 case study reviews were conducted. This focused principally on Sub Saharan
Africa but included some examples from India.
Despite numerous initiatives few have developed fully beyond the pilot stage and few have
been evaluated. Some of the provision to date has been of questionable value to farmers. A
key observation is that relatively little attention has been paid in design, to the needs for and
use of both the information and technology by farmers, and few attempts made to differentiate
provision according to gender and other demographic variables. Other factors contributing to
success included communications approaches, which are interactive and/or involve trusted
intermediaries who can add context to and help interpret more complex information.
Providing weather information alongside other services as âbundlesâ and in conjunction with
complementary communications approaches appears to work well. An important challenge is
how to meet farmersâ needs for location specific, timely and relevant information in
economically sustainable ways. More widely there are challenges in achieving successful
business models and potential conflicts between initiatives driven by mobile network
operators and public goals.
The study identified areas of considerable potential which include: the use of increasingly
available mobile data connections to ensure locally relevant content is available to farmers in
timely fashion (including both historical climate information and forecasts); development of
participatory decision making tools to enable farmers to interpret information for their own
contexts and consider implications and management options; use of visual applications and
participatory video on mobile devices to enhance learning and advisory services for farmers; the potential for increased feedback between farmers and service providers as well as
increased knowledge sharing between farmers provided by the use of social media
Research Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Ground-Water Science
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long-standing reputation for providing unbiased scientific leadership and excellence in the field of ground-water hydrology and geological research. This report provides a framework for continuing this scientific leadership by describing six interdisciplinary topics for research opportunities in ground-water science in the USGS. These topics build on recommendations of the National Research Council (2000) contained in the report, âInvestigating Groundwater Systems on Regional and National Scales,â and emphasize research topics that would benefit from the integrated capabilities of all parts of the USGS. Understanding the relations between ground water and the geological characteristics of aquifers within which ground water resides, and the relation of ground water to surface-water resources and terrestrial and aquatic biota is increasingly important and presents a considerable opportunity to draw on expertise throughout the USGS, including the science disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The National Research Council (2000) also emphasizes that USGS regional and national assessments of ground-water resources should focus on aspects that foster the sustainability of the resource. The need for a comprehensive program addressing the sustainability of ground-water resources can be stated very conciselyâwe need enough ground water of good quality to sustain our lives, our economy, and our aquatic ecosystems.
Although societal needs for high-quality, objective ground-water science are increasing, current funding for USGS regional ground-water programs is about 40 percent of the funding available 20â25 years ago. Given the current challenges of budgetary constraints, however, this report provides a flexible set of interrelated research topics that enhance the ability of the USGS to focus limited fiscal resources on developing ground-water science tools and methods that provide high-quality, objective scientific information
Provider Responses to Patients Controlling Access to their Electronic Health Records: A Prospective Cohort Study in Primary Care
Introduction: Applying Fair Information Practice principles to electronic health records (EHRs) requires allowing patient control over who views their data.
Methods: We designed a program that captures patientsâ preferences for provider access to an urban health systemâs EHR. Patients could allow or restrict providersâ access to all data (diagnoses, medications, test results, reports, etc.) or only highly sensitive data (sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, drugs/alcohol, mental or reproductive health). Except for information in free-text reports, we redacted EHR data shown to providers according to patientsâ preferences. Providers could âBreak the Glassâ to display redacted information. We prospectively studied this system in one primary care clinic, noting redactions and when users âBroke the Glass,â and surveyed providers about their experiences and opinions.
Results: Eight of 9 eligible clinic physicians and all 23 clinic staff participated. All 105 patients who enrolled completed the preference program.. Providers did not know which of their patients were enrolled and nor their preferences for accessing their EHRs. During the six-month prospective study, 92 study patients (88%) returned 261 times during which providers viewed their EHRs 126 times (48%). Providers âbroke the glassâ 102 times, 92 times for patients not in the study and 10 times for 6 returning study patients, all of whom had restricted EHR access. Providers âbroke the glassâ for 6 (14%) of 43 returning study patients with redacted data vs. zero among 49 study patients without redactions (p=0.01). Although 54% of providers agreed that patients should have control over who sees their EHR information, 58% believed restricting EHR access could harm provider-patient relationships and 71% felt quality of care would suffer.
Conclusions: Patients frequently preferred restricting provider access to their EHRs. Providers infrequently overrode patientsâ preferences to view hidden data. Providers believed restricting EHR access would adversely impact patient care. Applying Fair Information Practice principles to EHRs will require balancing patient preferences, providersâ needs, and health care quality.This study was supported in part by grant number 90HT005 from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to the Indiana Health Information Technology Corporation. The opinions expressed in this work are the authorsâ and do not necessarily reflect the positions of ONC, IHIT, Eskenazi Health, Indiana University, or the Regenstrief Institute, Inc
Effect of colour vision status on insect prey capture efficiency of captive and wild tamarins (Saguinus spp.)
The colour vision polymorphism of most New World primates is a model system to study the function of colour vision. Theories for the evolution of primate trichromacy focus on the efficient detection and selection of ripe fruits and young leaves amongst mature leaves, when trichromats are likely to be better than dichromats. We provide data on whether colour vision status affects insect capture in primates. Trichromatic tamarins (Saguinus spp.) catch more prey than dichromats, but dichromats catch a greater proportion of camouflaged prey than trichromats. The prey caught does not differ in size between the two visual phenotypes. Thus two factors may contribute to the maintenance of genetic polymorphism of middle- to long-wavelength photopigments in Platyrrhines: the advantage in finding fruit and leaves, which supports the maintenance of the polymorphism through a heterozygote advantage, and the dichromatsâ exploitation of different (e.g., camouflaged) food, which results in frequency-dependent selection on the different colour vision phenotypes
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