Brief Communication: Can recent ice discharges following the Larsen-B ice-shelf collapse be used to infer the driving mechanisms of millennial-scale variations of the Laurentide ice sheet?

Discussion paper.The effects of an ice-shelf collapse on inland glacier dynamics have recently been widely studied, especially since the breakup of Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen-B ice shelf in 2002. Several studies have documented acceleration of the ice streams that were flowing into the former ice shelf. The mechanism responsible for such a speed-up lies with the removal of the ice-shelf backforce. Independently, it is also well documented that during the last glacial period, the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets experienced large discharges into the ocean, likely reflecting ice flow acceleration episodes on the millennial time scale. The classic interpretation of the latter is based on the existence of an internal thermo-mechanical feedback with the potential to generate oscillatory behavior in the ice sheets. Here we would like to widen the debate by considering that Larsen-B-like glacial analog episodes could have contributed significantly to the registered millennial-scale variablity.Peer reviewe

Injections of hope: supporting participants in clinical trials

Understanding hope and better appreciating the personal investments of trial participants could improve patient experience and trial design, argue Emma Harding, Catherine Mummery, and colleague

Is investment in Indigenous land and sea management going to the right places to provide multiple co-benefits?

Indigenous land and sea management (ILSM) has been the focus of large government investment in Australia and globally. Beyond environmental benefits, such investments can deliver a suite of social, cultural and economic co-benefits, aligning with the objectives of Indigenous communities and of governments for culturally appropriate socio-economic development. Nevertheless, there have been very few studies done on the spatial distribution of this investment and the extent to which its associated co-benefits address socio-economic disadvantage, which is unevenly distributed across Australia. This study draws on Australian ILSM programmes to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of investment for ILSM between 2002–2012 and considers implications for the distribution of associated co-benefits. Mapping and analysis of 2600 conservation projects revealed that at least $462M of investment in ILSM projects had occurred at 750 discrete sites throughout Australia. More than half of this investment in ILSM has been concentrated in northern Australia, in disadvantaged remote and very remote areas where a high percentage of the population is Indigenous, and Indigenous land ownership extensive. Our research has shown that ILSM investment has successfully been spatially distributed to areas with high needs for multiple social, economic, environmental and health and well-being co-benefit outcomes

Exploring B/Ca as a pH proxy in bivalves : relationships between Mytilus californianus B/Ca and environmental data from the northeast Pacific

© The Author(s), 2011. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Biogeosciences 8 (2011): 2567-2579, doi:10.5194/bg-8-2567-2011.A distinct gap in our ability to understand changes in coastal biology that may be associated with recent ocean acidification is the paucity of directly measured ocean environmental parameters at coastal sites in recent decades. Thus, many researchers have turned to sclerochronological reconstructions of water chemistry to document the historical seawater environment. In this study, we explore the relationships between B/Ca and pH to test the feasibility of B/Ca measured on the ion probe as a pH proxy in the California mussel, Mytilus californianus. Heterogeneity in a range of ion microprobe standards is assessed, leading to reproducible B/Ca ratios at the 5% level. The B/Ca data exhibit large excursions during winter months, which are particularly pronounced during the severe winters of 2004–2005 and 2005–2006. Furthermore, B/Ca ratios are offset in different parts of the skeleton that calcified at the same time. We compare the M. californianus B/Ca record to directly measured environmental data during mussel growth from the period of 1999–2009 to examine whether seawater chemistry or temperature plays a role in controlling shell B/Ca. A suite of growth rate models based on measured temperature are compared to the B/Ca data to optimise the potential fit of B/Ca to pH. Despite sampling conditions that were well-suited to testing a pH control on B/Ca, including a close proximity to an environmental record, a distinct change in pH at the sampling locale, and a growth model designed to optimise the correlations between seawater pH and shell B/Ca, we do not see a strong correlations between pH and shell B/Ca (maximum coefficient of determination, r2, of 0.207). Instead, our data indicate a strong biological control on B/Ca as observed in some other carbonate-forming organisms.Financial support was provided by USGSWHOI Co-operative agreement and NSF-ANT award number 0902957 to L. F. Robinson, a SeaDoc Society grant to C. A. Pfister and J. T. Wootton, and a NASA Planetary Biology Internship to S. J. McCoy with L. F. Robinson and D. M. Glover

Infrared Diagnostics for the Extended 12 micron Sample of Seyferts

We present an analysis of Spitzer IRS spectroscopy of 83 active galaxies from the extended 12 micron sample. We find rank correlations between several tracers of star formation which suggest that (1) the PAH feature is a reliable tracer of star formation, (2) there is a significant contribution to the heating of the cool dust by stars, (3) the H$_2$ emission is also primarily excited by star formation. The 55-90 vs. 20-30 spectral index plot is also a diagnostic of the relative contribution of Starburst to AGN. We see there is a large change in spectral index across the sample. Thus, the contribution to the IR spectrum from the AGN and starburst components can be comparable in magnitude but the relative contribution also varies widely across the sample. We find rank correlations between several AGN tracers. We search for correlations between AGN and Starburst tracers and we conclude that the AGN and Starburst tracers are not correlated. This is consistent with our conclusion that the relative strength of the AGN and Starburst components varies widely across the sample. Thus, there is no simple link between AGN fueling and Black Hole Growth and star formation in these galaxies. The distribution of Sil 10 micron and 18 micron strengths is consistent with the clumpy torus models of Sirocky et al. We find a rank correlation between the [NeV] 14 micron line and the 6.7 micron continuum which may be due to an extended component of hot dust. The Sy 2s with a Hidden Broad Line Region (HBLR) have a higher ratio of AGN to Starburst contribution to the SED than Sy 2s without an HBLR. This may contribute to the detection of the HBLR in polarized light. The Sy 2s with an HBLR are more similar to the Sy 1s than they are to the Sy 2s without an HBLR

Exploring the costs and outcomes of sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening interventions targeting men in football club settings: preliminary cost-consequence analysis of the SPORTSMART pilot randomised controlled trial

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the costs and outcomes of two sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening interventions targeted at men in football club settings in England, including screening promoted by team captains. Methods: A comparison of costs and outcomes was undertaken alongside a pilot cluster randomised control trial involving three trial arms: (1) captain-led and poster STI screening promotion; (2) sexual health advisor-led and poster STI screening promotion and (3) poster-only STI screening promotion (control/comparator). For all study arms, resource use and cost data were collected prospectively. Results: There was considerable variation in uptake rates between clubs, but results were broadly comparable across study arms with 50% of men accepting the screening offer in the captain-led arm, 67% in the sexual health advisor-led arm and 61% in the poster-only control arm. The overall costs associated with the intervention arms were similar. The average cost per player tested was comparable, with the average cost per player tested for the captain-led promotion estimated to be £88.99 compared with £88.33 for the sexual health advisor-led promotion and £81.87 for the poster-only (control) arm. Conclusions: Costs and outcomes were similar across intervention arms. The target sample size was not achieved, and we found a greater than anticipated variability between clubs in the acceptability of screening, which limited our ability to estimate acceptability for intervention arms. Further evidence is needed about the public health benefits associated with screening interventions in non-clinical settings so that their cost-effectiveness can be fully evaluated

ナンキョク ケンキュウ カガク イインカイ ノ レンゾク プランクトン サイシュウキ センモンカ グループ ワークショップ ホウコク

2010年11月22-26日に国立極地研究所にて「南極研究科学委員会(以下SCAR)連続プランクトン採集器(以下CPR)専門家グループワークショップ」を開催した.4カ国から12名が参加し,南大洋CPR観測実務担当者の間で,観測データの品質管理,種同定やデータ分析手法の再確認,及び今後の活動についての詳細な討議を行った.前半は文献資料及び顕微鏡観察を通して,動物プランクトンの分類群ごとに種同定の情報交換及び具体的な分類カテゴリーの統一を図った.まとめられた種同定基準を用いて新たにマニュアルを作成することとなった.後半はデータ分析手法とデータマネージメント,さらには将来的な観測計画を確認した.今後,定期的にワークショップを開催し,各国間で統一された試料処理及びデータ管理を維持していくことで合意した."Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder (SO-CPR) Standards Workshop: SCAR Expert Group on CPR Research" was held at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) on 22-26 November 2011. Twelve participants from four countries attended. The purposes of the workshop were to ensure that consistent and high standards of species identification, methodology, and data quality were being maintained amongst all participants and laboratories in the SO-CPR survey, and to discuss future contributions of the SO-CPR program to a global CPR network. The first three and a half days of the workshop were focused on assessing the accuracy and consistency of species identifications. We concluded that our species identifications and procedures are accurate and uniform, and that the SO-CPR database is of the highest possible standard. Certain taxonomic criteria developed at the workshop will be described in a new laboratory procedures manual. Four major gaps in the database (spatial, temporal, taxonomic, and data analysis gaps) were identified and discussed. Participants concurred that there should be more regular workshops to ensure that the high standards of the SO-CPR program are maintained

Up Regulation of the Maternal Immune Response in the Placenta of Cattle Naturally Infected with Neospora caninum

Neospora caninum is an intracellular protozoan parasite which is a major cause of abortion in cattle worldwide. It forms persistent infections which recrudesce during pregnancy leading to foetal infection and in a proportion of cases, abortion. The mechanisms underlying abortion are not understood. In this study, recrudescence of a persistent infection in eight naturally infected cows occurred between 20 and 33 weeks of gestation. Animals were killed at the time of recrudescence and parasites were detected in the placentae and foetuses. An active maternal immune response consisting of an infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and a 46–49 fold increase in interferon-γ and interleukin-4 mRNA was detected. Other cytokines, notably interleukin-12 p40, interleukin-10 and tumour necrosis factor-α were also significantly increased and Major Histocompatibility Class II antigen was expressed on maternal and foetal epithelial and stromal fibroblastoid cells. Significantly, despite the presence of an active maternal immune response in the placenta, all the foetuses were alive at the time of maternal euthanasia. There was evidence of parasites within foetal tissues; their distribution was restricted to the central nervous system and skeletal muscle and their presence was associated with tissue necrosis and a non-suppurative inflammatory response involving lymphocytes and macrophages, irrespective of the gestational age of the foetus. Whilst an active maternal immune response to a pathogen in the placenta is generally considered to be damaging to the foetal trophoblast, our findings suggest that the presence of a parasite-induced maternal immune response in the placenta is not detrimental to foetal survival but may contribute to the control of placental parasitosis