The effect of vegetation height and biomass on the sediment budget of a European saltmarsh

Sediment retention in saltmarshes is often attributed to the presence of vegetation, which enhances accretion by slowing water flow, reduces erosion by attenuating wave energy and increases surface stability through the presence of organic matter. Saltmarsh vegetation morphology varies considerably on a range of spatial and temporal scales, but the effect of different above ground morphologies on sediment retention is not well characterised. Understanding the biophysical interaction between the canopy and sediment trapping in situ is important for improving numerical shoreline models. In a novel field flume study, we measured the effect of vegetation height and biomass on sediment trapping using a mass balance approach. Suspended sediment profilers were placed at both openings of a field flume built across-shore on the seaward boundary of an intertidal saltmarsh in the Dengie Peninsula, UK. Sequential removal of plant material from within the flume resulted in incremental loss of vegetation height and biomass. The difference between the concentration of suspended sediment measured at each profiler was used to determine the sediment budget within the flume. Deposition of material on the plant/soil surfaces within the flume occurred during flood tides, while ebb flow resulted in erosion (to a lesser degree) from the flume area, with a positive sediment budget of on average 6.5 g m-2 tide-1 with no significant relationship between sediment trapping efficiency and canopy morphology. Deposition (and erosion) rates were positively correlated to maximum inundation depth. Our results suggest that during periods of calm conditions, changes to canopy morphology do not result in significant changes in sediment budgets in marshes

Exploring views on satisfaction with life in young children with chronic illness: an innovative approach to the collection of self-report data from children under 11

The objective of this study was to explore young children’s views on the impact of chronic illness on their life in order to inform future development of a patient-based self-report health outcome measure. We describe an approach to facilitating self-report views from young children with chronic illness. A board game was designed in order to obtain qualitative data from 39 children with a range of chronic illness conditions and 38 healthy controls ranging in age from 3 to 11 years. The format was effective in engaging young children in a self-report process of determining satisfaction with life and identified nine domains. The board game enabled children aged 5–11 years with chronic illness to describe the effects of living with illness on home, family, friends, school and life in general. It generated direct, non-interpreted material from children who, because of their age, may have been considered unable or limited their ability to discuss and describe how they feel. Obtaining this information for children aged 4 and under continues to be a challenge

Genome of Alcanivorax sp. 24 : a hydrocarbon degrading bacterium isolated from marine plastic debris

Alcanivorax is an important member of the hydrocarbonoclastic group known for using alkanes and other related compound as their preferred carbon source. Here we report the genomic characteristics of Alcanivorax sp. 24 isolated from plastic marine debris. Its 4,765,873 bp genome, containing 4239 coding sequences, revealed the presence of all genomic features involved in alkane degradation (i.e. two cytochrome P450, three alkane monooxygenases AlkB and two enzymes involved in the degradation of long-chain alkanes AlmA) as well as other relevant enzymes that may play a role in the biodegradation of other polymers such as polyhydroxybutyrate. The genome features and phylogenetic context of these genes provide interesting insight into the lifestyle versatility of Alcanivorax sp. living in the plastisphere of marine plastic debris

Bereaved relatives' experiences in relation to post mortem: a qualitative exploration in North East Scotland.

When a family is grieving the loss of a member the consideration of post mortem is an additional concern. This study set out to explore how relatives are supported to give authorisation and throughout the post mortem process. Thirteen relatives with varied experiences of a relative's death took part in interviews. Data analysis revealed the post mortem as part of the narrative of the death, with more significance for some than others. Important aspects for relatives were being able to say goodbye properly, and engagement with staff in hospital and procurator fiscal (public prosecution) services in more substantive communicative relationships, rather than only receiving basic information. Relatives valued receiving results they could understand. There may be opportunities, particularly in coroner or procurator fiscal services, for development of roles in liaison between relatives and pathology services, and support for relatives

Striped Jets in Post Neutron Star Merger Systems

Models invoking magnetic reconnection as the particle acceleration mechanism within relativistic jets often adopt a gradual energy dissipation profile within the jet. However, such a profile has yet to be reproduced in first-principles simulations. Here, we perform a suite of 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of post-neutron star merger disks with an initially purely toroidal magnetic field. We explore the variations in both the microphysics (e.g., nuclear recombination, neutrino emission) and system parameters (e.g., disk mass). In all our simulations, we find the formation of magnetically striped jets. The stripes result from the reversals in the poloidal magnetic flux polarity generated in the accretion disk. The simulations display large variations in the distributions of stripe duration, $\tau$, and power, $\langle P_{\Phi} \rangle$. We find that more massive disks produce more powerful stripes, the most powerful of which reaches $\langle P_{\Phi} \rangle \sim 10^{49}$~erg~s$^{-1}$ at $\tau \sim 20$~ms. The power and variability that result from the magnetic reconnection of the stripes agree with those inferred in short duration gamma-ray bursts. We find that the dissipation profile of the cumulative energy is roughly a power-law in both radial distance, $z$, and $\tau$, with the slope in the range, $\sim 1.7-3$; more massive disks display larger slopes