Explorations in anatomy: the remains from Royal London Hospital

This paper considers the faunal remains from recent excavations at the Royal London Hospital. The remains date to the beginning of the 19th century and offer an insight into the life of the hospital's patients and practices of the attached medical school. Many of the animal remains consist of partially dissected skeletons, including the unique finds of Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and Cercopithecus monkey. The hospital diet and developments in comparative anatomy are discussed by integrating the results with documentary research. They show that zooarchaeological study of later post-medieval material can significantly enhance our understanding of the exploitation of animals in this perio

2+1 flavor domain wall QCD on a (2 fm)^3 lattice: light meson spectroscopy with Ls = 16

We present results for light meson masses and pseudoscalar decay constants from the first of a series of lattice calculations with 2+1 dynamical flavors of domain wall fermions and the Iwasaki gauge action. The work reported here was done at a fixed lattice spacing of about 0.12 fm on a 16^3\times32 lattice, which amounts to a spatial volume of (2 fm)^3 in physical units. The number of sites in the fifth dimension is 16, which gives m_{res} = 0.00308(4) in these simulations. Three values of input light sea quark masses, m_l^{sea} \approx 0.85 m_s, 0.59 m_s and 0.33 m_s were used to allow for extrapolations to the physical light quark limit, whilst the heavier sea quark mass was fixed to approximately the physical strange quark mass m_s. The exact rational hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm was used to evaluate the fractional powers of the fermion determinants in the ensemble generation. We have found that f_\pi = 127(4) MeV, f_K = 157(5) MeV and f_K/f_\pi = 1.24(2), where the errors are statistical only, which are in good agreement with the experimental values.Comment: RBC and UKQCD Collaborations. 17 pages, 14 figures. Typeset with ReVTEX4. v2: replaced with the version published in PRD with improved introductio

Reproductive Modes in Onion Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Populations from New York Onion Fields

Thrips exhibit different reproductive modes including thelytoky (females produced from unfertilized eggs), arrhenotoky (males produced from unfertilized eggs and females produced from fertilized eggs) and deuterotoky (females and males produced from unfertilized eggs). We investigated patterns of reproductive modes in onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, populations and potential effects of the bacterium Wolbachia and temperature on these modes. We also examined the possibility that male-producing T. tabaci populations were resistant to the frequently used insecticides, lambda-cyhalothrin and methomyl. In New York during 2002-2004, T. tabaci populations were sampled from 20 onion fields and reproductive mode was determined by identifying sex of progeny from virgins. Half of the populations were thelytokous and half were a mix of thelytokous, arrhenotokous and deuterotokous individuals, which we refer to as a male-producing population. In two of four cases, the reproductive mode of a population from the same onion field changed across years, suggesting that populations either mix or an external factor caused the change. To address the latter, we speculated that Wolbachia or high temperature mediated reproductive modes. Samples of T. tabaci representing each reproductive mode were examined for Wolbachia using diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but it was not detected. Cytological examination of ovaries from two additional thelytokous lines also showed no evidence of Wolbachia. Similarly, high temperature did not affect sex allocation ratios in either thelytokous or male-producing populations. Male-producing T. tabaci populations were not positively correlated with resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, or tolerance to methomyl. The role of the different reproductive modes in T. tabaci populations in onion fields remains unclea

The Alzheimer's disease-linked protease BACE1 modulates neuronal IL-6 signaling through shedding of the receptor gp130

Background The protease BACE1 is a major drug target for Alzheimer's disease, but chronic BACE1 inhibition is associated with non-progressive cognitive worsening that may be caused by modulation of unknown physiological BACE1 substrates. Methods To identify in vivo-relevant BACE1 substrates, we applied pharmacoproteomics to non-human-primate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after acute treatment with BACE inhibitors. Results Besides SEZ6, the strongest, dose-dependent reduction was observed for the pro-inflammatory cytokine receptor gp130/IL6ST, which we establish as an in vivo BACE1 substrate. Gp130 was also reduced in human CSF from a clinical trial with a BACE inhibitor and in plasma of BACE1-deficient mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that BACE1 directly cleaves gp130, thereby attenuating membrane-bound gp130 and increasing soluble gp130 abundance and controlling gp130 function in neuronal IL-6 signaling and neuronal survival upon growth-factor withdrawal. Conclusion BACE1 is a new modulator of gp130 function. The BACE1-cleaved, soluble gp130 may serve as a pharmacodynamic BACE1 activity marker to reduce the occurrence of side effects of chronic BACE1 inhibition in humans

Creativity and Autonomy in Swarm Intelligence Systems

This work introduces two swarm intelligence algorithms -- one mimicking the behaviour of one species of ants (\emph{Leptothorax acervorum}) foraging (a `Stochastic Diffusion Search', SDS) and the other algorithm mimicking the behaviour of birds flocking (a `Particle Swarm Optimiser', PSO) -- and outlines a novel integration strategy exploiting the local search properties of the PSO with global SDS behaviour. The resulting hybrid algorithm is used to sketch novel drawings of an input image, exploliting an artistic tension between the local behaviour of the `birds flocking' - as they seek to follow the input sketch - and the global behaviour of the `ants foraging' - as they seek to encourage the flock to explore novel regions of the canvas. The paper concludes by exploring the putative `creativity' of this hybrid swarm system in the philosophical light of the `rhizome' and Deleuze's well known `Orchid and Wasp' metaphor

Staging women in prisons: Clean Break Theatre Company’s dramaturgy of the cage

The article explores the limitations of the dramaturgies of the cell through a close reading of several key play texts commissioned by the UK’s leading arts in criminal justice organisation working with women, Clean Break. The apparently humanist positioning of women in prison as just like everyone else erases the specificity of women’s backstories. Conversely, by adhering to the constructions of female prisoners as holding binary positions of either ‘monsters’ or ‘victims’ of the system, plays can re-inscribe morally unitary approaches to women’s deviance and resistance. Many plays about women in prison hold a claim for resisting stereotypes and are in opposition to the injustice of criminal justice processes, and yet, in the realist mode, the monster/ victim position seems to be an inescapable binary

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey XVIII. Classifications and radial velocities of the B-type stars

We present spectral classifications for 438 B-type stars observed as part of the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS) in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Radial velocities are provided for 307 apparently single stars, and for 99 targets with radial-velocity variations which are consistent with them being spectroscopic binaries. We investigate the spatial distribution of the radial velocities across the 30 Dor region, and use the results to identify candidate runaway stars. Excluding potential runaways and members of two older clusters in the survey region (SL 639 and Hodge 301), we determine a systemic velocity for 30 Dor of 271.6 ± 12.2 kms-1 from 273 presumed single stars. Employing a 3σ criterion we identify nine candidate runaway stars (2.9% of the single stars with radial-velocity estimates). The projected rotational velocities of the candidate runaways appear to be significantly different to those of the full B-type sample, with a strong preference for either large (≥345 kms-1) or small (≤65 kms-1) rotational velocities. Of the candidate runaways, VFTS 358 (classified B0.5: V) has the largest differential radial velocity (−106.9 ± 16.2 kms-1), and a preliminary atmospheric analysis finds a significantly enriched nitrogen abundance of 12 + log (N/H) ≳ 8.5. Combined with a large rotational velocity (ve sin i = 345 ± 22 kms-1), this is suggestive of past binary interaction for this star

Self-management support interventions to reduce health care utilisation without compromising outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: There is increasing interest in the role of �self-management� interventions to support the management of long-term conditions in health service settings. Self-management may include patient education, support for decision-making, self-monitoring and psychological and social support. Self-management support has potential to improve the efficiency of health services by reducing other forms of utilisation (such as primary care or hospital use), but a shift to self-management may lead to negative outcomes, such as patients who feel more anxious about their health, are less able to cope, or who receive worse quality of care, all of which may impact on their health and quality of life. We sought to determine which models of self-management support are associated with significant reductions in health services utilisation without compromising outcomes among patients with long-term conditions. Methods: We used systematic review with meta-analysis. We included randomised controlled trials in patients with long-term conditions which included self-management support interventions and reported measures of service utilisation or costs, as well as measures of health outcomes (standardized disease specific quality of life, generic quality of life, or depression/anxiety).We searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, CINAHL, Econlit, EMBASE, HEED, MEDLINE, NHS EED and PsycINFO) and the reference lists of published reviews. We calculated effects sizes for both outcomes and costs, and presented the results in permutation plots, as well as conventional meta-analyses. Results: We included 184 studies. Self-management support was associated with small but significant improvements in health outcomes, with the best evidence of effectiveness in patients with diabetic, respiratory, cardiovascular and mental health conditions. Only a minority of self-management support interventions reported reductions in health care utilisation in association with decrements in health. Evidence for reductions in utilisation associated with self-management support was strongest in respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Studies at higher risk of bias were more likely to report benefits. Conclusions: Self-management support interventions can reduce health service utilization without compromising patient health outcomes, although effects were generally small, and the evidence was strongest in respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. Further work is needed to determine which components of self-management support are most effective

High-resolution mapping of forest carbon stocks in the Colombian Amazon

High-resolution mapping of tropical forest carbon stocks can assist forest management and improve implementation of large-scale carbon retention and enhancement programs. Previous high-resolution approaches have relied on field plot and/or light detection and ranging (LiDAR) samples of aboveground carbon density, which are typically upscaled to larger geographic areas using stratification maps. Such efforts often rely on detailed vegetation maps to stratify the region for sampling, but existing tropical forest maps are often too coarse and field plots too sparse for high-resolution carbon assessments. We developed a top-down approach for high-resolution carbon mapping in a 16.5 million ha region (> 40%) of the Colombian Amazon – a remote landscape seldom documented. We report on three advances for large-scale carbon mapping: (i) employing a universal approach to airborne LiDAR-calibration with limited field data; (ii) quantifying environmental controls over carbon densities; and (iii) developing stratification- and regression-based approaches for scaling up to regions outside of LiDAR coverage. We found that carbon stocks are predicted by a combination of satellite-derived elevation, fractional canopy cover and terrain ruggedness, allowing upscaling of the LiDAR samples to the full 16.5 million ha region. LiDAR-derived carbon maps have 14% uncertainty at 1 ha resolution, and the regional map based on stratification has 28% uncertainty in any given hectare. High-resolution approaches with quantifiable pixel-scale uncertainties will provide the most confidence for monitoring changes in tropical forest carbon stocks. Improved confidence will allow resource managers and decision makers to more rapidly and effectively implement actions that better conserve and utilize forests in tropical regions

Ensemble evaluation of hydrological model hypotheses

It is demonstrated for the first time how model parameter, structural and data uncertainties can be accounted for explicitly and simultaneously within the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology. As an example application, 72 variants of a single soil moisture accounting store are tested as simplified hypotheses of runoff generation at six experimental grassland field-scale lysimeters through model rejection and a novel diagnostic scheme. The fields, designed as replicates, exhibit different hydrological behaviors which yield different model performances. For fields with low initial discharge levels at the beginning of events, the conceptual stores considered reach their limit of applicability. Conversely, one of the fields yielding more discharge than the others, but having larger data gaps, allows for greater flexibility in the choice of model structures. As a model learning exercise, the study points to a “leaking” of the fields not evident from previous field experiments. It is discussed how understanding observational uncertainties and incorporating these into model diagnostics can help appreciate the scale of model structural error