SMART Cables for Observing the Global Ocean: Science and Implementation

The ocean is key to understanding societal threats including climate change, sea level rise, ocean warming, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Because the ocean is difficult and costly to monitor, we lack fundamental data needed to adequately model, understand, and address these threats. One solution is to integrate sensors into future undersea telecommunications cables. This is the mission of the SMART subsea cables initiative (Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications). SMART sensors would “piggyback” on the power and communications infrastructure of a million kilometers of undersea fiber optic cable and thousands of repeaters, creating the potential for seafloor-based global ocean observing at a modest incremental cost. Initial sensors would measure temperature, pressure, and seismic acceleration. The resulting data would address two critical scientific and societal issues: the long-term need for sustained climate-quality data from the under-sampled ocean (e.g., deep ocean temperature, sea level, and circulation), and the near-term need for improvements to global tsunami warning networks. A Joint Task Force (JTF) led by three UN agencies (ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC) is working to bring this initiative to fruition. This paper explores the ocean science and early warning improvements available from SMART cable data, and the societal, technological, and financial elements of realizing such a global network. Simulations show that deep ocean temperature and pressure measurements can improve estimates of ocean circulation and heat content, and cable-based pressure and seismic-acceleration sensors can improve tsunami warning times and earthquake parameters. The technology of integrating these sensors into fiber optic cables is discussed, addressing sea and land-based elements plus delivery of real-time open data products to end users. The science and business case for SMART cables is evaluated. SMART cables have been endorsed by major ocean science organizations, and JTF is working with cable suppliers and sponsors, multilateral development banks and end users to incorporate SMART capabilities into future cable projects. By investing now, we can build up a global ocean network of long-lived SMART cable sensors, creating a transformative addition to the Global Ocean Observing System

The Photophysical Properties of CdTe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots

The distinctive fluorescent properties of semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) make them advantageous for use in optoelectronic and biological applications. We report on experiments done to characterize the optical properties and the general photostability of CdTe QDs with varying ZnS shell thicknesses. Steady-state and time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements indicate that increasing the ZnS shell thickness results in longer absorption and emission wavelengths, increased quantum yield, and improved photostability.Faculty Sponsor: Dr. James J. Butler and Dr. David Corde

Effect of point of care testing for C reactive protein and training in communication skills on antibiotic use in lower respiratory tract infections: cluster randomised trial

Objective To assess the effect of general practitioner testing for C reactive protein (disease approach) and receiving training in enhanced communication skills (illness approach) on antibiotic prescribing for lower respiratory tract infection

Incidence and antibiotic prescribing for clinically diagnosed urinary tract infection in older adults in UK primary care, 2004-2014

Funding: This report is independent research arising from a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellowship awarded to Haroon Ahmed, and supported by Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) (Grant number: DRF-2014-07-010). The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS Wales, HCRW or the Welsh Government. Hywel Jones is supported by The Farr Institute @ CIPHER, a Medical Research Council led multi-funder initiative for e-health research, MRC Grant Number: MR/K006525/1. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Is there a reliable taphonomic clock in the temperate North Atlantic? An example from a North Sea population of the mollusc Arctica islandica

Two hundred and seventy-seven shells of the long-lived bivalve mollusc Arctica islandica, collected from the Fladen Ground, northern North Sea, were radiocarbon dated and their taphonomic condition assessed, in order to determine whether taphonomic condition might provide a reliable indication of time since the death of the animal. With nine stations from across the Fladen Ground sampled, some strong geographic biases in 14C ages were apparent, with living and modern (post-bomb pulse) material found in the northern part of the Fladen Ground while older material (first half of the last millennium and Early Holocene/Lateglacial) was concentrated in the central and western sites. Samples from the south and east Fladen Ground were sparse and were dominated by material from the second half of the last millennium. This south-north distribution is interpreted as the result of environmental change over millennial time-scales in the North Sea causing a gradual northward shift of living A. islandica populations and is not thought to be related to post mortem transport of shells to the south and east. Taphonomic condition, assessed using discriminant analysis and principal component analysis of five characteristics (amount of remaining periostracum, presence and condition of the ligament, extent of erosion at the shell margin, amount of bioerosion, and nacre condition), appeared to be a generally unreliable indicator of time since the death of the animal. Based on these five taphonomic characteristics, discriminant analysis placed 81.1% of post-bomb shells, 39.6% of shells from the period 0–500 yr BP, 68.0% of shells from the period 500–1000 yr BP and 20.0% of shells from the Early Holocene/Lateglacial group into the correct radiocarbon age grouping, providing no support for the idea that this method can be used to triage shells for chronology construction as an alternative to radiometric dating

Proteasome-targeted nanobodies alleviate pathology and functional decline in an α-synuclein-based Parkinson's disease model.

Therapeutics designed to target α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation may be critical in halting the progression of pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Nanobodies are single-domain antibody fragments that bind with antibody specificity, but allow readier genetic engineering and delivery. When expressed intracellularly as intrabodies, anti-α-syn nanobodies fused to a proteasome-targeting proline, aspartate or glutamate, serine, and threonine (PEST) motif can modulate monomeric concentrations of target proteins. Here we aimed to validate and compare the in vivo therapeutic potential of gene therapy delivery of two proteasome-directed nanobodies selectively targeting α-syn in a synuclein overexpression-based PD model: VH14*PEST (non-amyloid component region) and NbSyn87*PEST (C-terminal region). Stereotaxic injections of adeno-associated viral 5-α-syn (AAV5-α-syn) into the substantia nigra (SN) were performed in Sprague-Dawley rats that were sorted into three cohorts based on pre-operative behavioral testing. Rats were treated with unilateral SN injections of vectors for VH14*PEST, NbSyn87*PEST, or injected with saline 3 weeks post lesion. Post-mortem assessments of the SN showed that both nanobodies markedly reduced the level of phosphorylated Serine-129 α-syn labeling relative to saline-treated animals. VH14*PEST showed considerable maintenance of striatal dopaminergic tone in comparison to saline-treated and NbSyn87*PEST-treated animals as measured by tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (optical density), DAT immunoreactivity (optical density), and dopamine concentration (high-performance liquid chromatography). Microglial accumulation and inflammatory response, assessed by stereological counts of Iba-1-labeled cells, was modestly increased in NbSyn87*PEST-injected rats but not in VH14*PEST-treated or saline-treated animals. Modest behavioral rescue was also observed, although there was pronounced variability among individual animals. These data validate in vivo therapeutic efficacy of vector-delivered intracellular nanobodies targeting α-syn misfolding and aggregation in synucleinopathies such as PD

Improving management of patients with acute cough by C-reactive protein point of care testing and communication training (IMPAC(3)T): study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Most antibiotic prescriptions for acute cough due to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in primary care are not warranted. Diagnostic uncertainty and patient expectations and worries are major drivers of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. A C-reactive protein (CRP) point of care test may help GPs to better guide antibiotic treatment by ruling out pneumonia in cases of low test results. Alternatively, enhanced communication skills training to help clinicians address patients' expectations and worries could lead to a decrease in antibiotic prescribing, without compromising clinical recovery, while enhancing patient enablement. The aim of this paper is to describe the design and methods of a study to assess two interventions for improving LRTI management in general practice. METHODS/DESIGN: This cluster randomised controlled, factorial trial will introduce two interventions in general practice; point of care CRP testing and enhanced communication skills training for LRTI. Twenty general practices with two participating GPs per practice will recruit 400 patients with LRTI during two winter periods. Patients will be followed up for at least 28 days. The primary outcome measure is the antibiotic prescribing rate. Secondary outcomes are clinical recovery, cost-effectiveness, use of other diagnostic tests and medical services (including reconsultation), and patient enablement. DISCUSSION: This trial is the first cluster randomised trial to evaluate the influence of point of care CRP testing in the hands of the general practitioner and enhanced communication skills, on the management of LRTI in primary care. The pragmatic nature of the study, which leaves treatment decisions up to the responsible clinicians, will enhance the applicability and generalisability of findings. The factorial design will allow conclusion to be made about the value of CRP testing on its own, communication skills training on its own, and the two combined. Evaluating a biomedical and communication based intervention ('hard' and 'soft' technologies) together in this way makes this trial unique in its field

Toward a conceptual framework of emotional relationship marketing: an examination of two UK political parties

The purpose of this paper is to review the notion of branding and evaluate its applicability to political parties. As ideological politics is in decline, branding may provide a consistent narrative where voters feel a sense of warmth and belonging. The paper aims to build an understanding of the complexity of building a political brand where a combination of image, logo, leadership, and values can all contribute to a compelling brand narrative. It investigates how competing positive and negative messages attempt to build and distort the brand identity. A critical review of bran ding, relationship marketing, and political science literature articulates the conceptual development of branding and its applicability to political parties. The success or failure of negative campaigning is due to the authenticity of a political party’s brand values — creating a coherent brand story — if there is no distance between the brand values articulated by the political party and the values their community perceives then this creates an "authentic" brand. However, if there is a gap this paper illustrates how negative campaigning can be used to build a "doppelganger brand," which undermines the credibility of the authentic political brand. The paper argues that political parties need to understand how brand stories are developed but also how they can be used to protect against negative advertising. This has implications for political marketing strategists and political parties. This paper draws together branding theory and relationship marketing and incorporates them into a framework that makes a contribution to the political marketing literature