Interstellar Scintillation Observations of 146 Extragalactic Radio Sources

From 1979--1996 the Green Bank Interferometer was used by the Naval Research Laboratory to monitor the flux density from 146 compact radio sources at frequencies near 2 and 8 GHz. We filter the ``light curves'' to separate intrinsic variations on times of a year or more from more rapid interstellar scintilation (ISS) on times of 5--50 d. Whereas the intrinsic variation at 2 GHz is similar to that at 8 GHz (though diminished in amplitude), the ISS variation is much stronger at 2 than at 8 GHz. We characterize the ISS variation by an rms amplitude and a timescale and examine the statistics of these parameters for the 121 sources with significant ISS at 2 GHz. We model the scintillations using the NE2001 Galactic electron model assuming the sources are brightness-limited. We find the observed rms amplitude to be in general agreement with the model, provided that the compact components of the sources have about 50% of their flux density in a component with maximum brightness temperatures $10^{11}$--$10^{12}$K. Thus our results are consistent with cm-wavelength VLBI studies of compact AGNs, in that the maximum brightness temperatures found are consistent with the inverse synchrotron limit at $3 \times 10^{11}$ K, boosted in jet configurations by Doppler factors up to about 20. The average of the observed 2 GHz ISS timescales is in reasonable agreement with the model at Galactic latitudes above about 10\de. At lower latitudes the observed timescales are too fast, suggesting that the transverse plasma velocity increases more than expected beyond about 1 kpc.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figures. Submitted to Ap

A possible jet precession in the periodic quasar B0605-085

The quasar B0605-085 (OH 010) shows a hint for probable periodical variability in the radio total flux-density light curves. We study the possible periodicity of B0605-085 in the total flux-density, spectra and opacity changes in order to compare it with jet kinematics on parsec scales. We have analyzed archival total flux-density variability at ten frequencies (408 MHz, 4.8 GHz, 6.7 GHz, 8 GHz, 10.7 GHz, 14.5 GHz, 22 GHz, 37 GHz, 90 GHz, and 230 GHz) together with the archival high-resolution very long baseline interferometry data at 15 GHz from the MOJAVE monitoring campaign. Using the Fourier transform and discrete autocorrelation methods we have searched for periods in the total flux-density light curves. In addition, spectral evolution and changes of the opacity have been analyzed. We found a period in multi-frequency total flux-density light curves of 7.9+-0.5 yrs. Moreover, a quasi-stationary jet component C1 follows a prominent helical path on a similar time scale of 8 years. We have also found that the average instantaneous speeds of the jet components show a clear helical pattern along the jet with a characteristic scale of 3 mas. Taking into account average speeds of jet components, this scale corresponds to a time scale of about 7.7 years. Jet precession can explain the helical path of the quasi-stationary jet component C1 and the periodical modulation of the total flux-density light curves. We have fitted a precession model to the trajectory of the jet component C1, with a viewing angle phi=2.6+-2.2 degrees, aperture angle of the precession cone Omega=23.9+-1.9 degrees and fixed precession period (in the observers frame) P = 7.9 yrs.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in A&

Domestic Water Demand During Droughts in Temperate Climates: Synthesising Evidence for an Integrated Framework

In the upcoming years, as the population is growing and ageing, as lifestyle changes create the need for more water and as fewer people live in each household, the UK water sector will have to deal with challenges in the provision of adequate water services. Unless critical action is taken, every area in the UK may face a supply-demand gap by the 2080s. Extreme weather events and variations that alter drought and flood frequency add to these pressures. However, little evidence is available about householders’ response to drought and there are few if any studies incorporating this evidence into models of demand forecasting. The present work lays the groundwork for modelling domestic water demand response under drought conditions in temperate climates. After discussing the current literature on estimating and forecasting domestic water consumption under both ‘normal’ and drought conditions, this paper identifies the limited ability of current domestic demand forecasting techniques to include the many different and evolving factors affecting domestic consumption and it stresses the need for the inclusion of inter and intra household factors as well as water use practices in future demand forecasting models

Fundamental movement skills and their assessment in primary schools from the perspective of teachers

Evidence suggests that children struggle to acquire age-appropriate fundamental movement skills (FMS), despite their importance for facilitating physical activity. This has led to calls for routine school-based screening of children’s FMS. However, there is limited research exploring schools’ capacity to conduct such assessments. This study investigated what factors might affect the adoption and implementation of FMS assessments in primary schools. School staff (n = 853) completed an online questionnaire developed using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behavior (COM-B) model. A majority reported that knowledge of pupils’ FMS ability would be beneficial (65.3%), and 71.8% would assess FMS if support was provided. Barriers included: Capability–few possessed knowledge of FMS (15%); Opportunity–teachers reported 30–60 minutes as acceptable for assessing a class, a substantially shorter period than current assessments require; Motivation–57.2% stated FMS assessments would increase workload stress. Solutions to these issues are discussed using the COM-B theoretical framework.</p

A workflow for practical training in plant genomics using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing

Societal Impacts Statement Advances in DNA sequencing technologies are revolutionising all areas of plant genomic research. In response to the current deficit of educational resources in modern plant genomic methods, we have developed a comprehensive genomics training course for sequencing and analysing non-model plant species. This course effectively equips students in all stages of a genomic workflow, enabling them to produce partial nuclear and complete plastid genomes with long-read sequencing data. Such an approach significantly enhances science education by empowering students with the skills necessary for generating and analysing contemporary plant genomic data. Summary Long-read sequencing technologies continue to grow in popularity and provide an effective way to resolve large and complex genomic variants. However, uptake of these technologies for teaching and training is hampered by the complexity of high molecular weight DNA extraction protocols, the time required for library preparation and the costs for sequencing, as well as challenges with downstream data analyses. We present a long-read workflow for teaching, that covers each stage from DNA extraction, to library preparation and sequencing, to data QC and genome assembly and characterisation, which can be completed in under two weeks. We use a case study of plant identification, where students generate sequence data and assemble genomes to help identify an unlabelled plant sample. Long-read genome skimming of wild-collected plant species extracted with a modified kit-based approach produced an average of 8Gb of Oxford Nanopore data, enabling the complete assembly of plastid genomes, and partial assembly of nuclear genomes. All students were able to complete the protocol, and to correctly identify their sample based on sequence matches of barcoding loci extracted from the plastid genome, coupled with phylogenetic analyses of whole plastid genomes. Our comprehensive and easy-to-follow workflow will enable training in the use of long-read sequencing for plant genomic analysis in a range of teaching settings

Validazione di Piani di Disaster Recovery mediante Simulatore

Contribution published online at: http://www.mimos.it/nuovo/contenuto_view.asp?check=10

Fundamental Movement Skills and Their Assessment in Primary Schools from the Perspective of Teachers

YesEvidence suggests that children struggle to acquire age-appropriate fundamental movement skills (FMS), despite their importance for facilitating physical activity. This has led to calls for routine school-based screening of children’s FMS. However, there is limited research exploring schools’ capacity to conduct such assessments. This study investigated what factors might affect the adoption and implementation of FMS assessments in primary schools. School staff (n = 853) completed an online questionnaire developed using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behavior (COM-B) model. A majority reported that knowledge of pupils’ FMS ability would be beneficial (65.3%), and 71.8% would assess FMS if support was provided. Barriers included: Capability–few possessed knowledge of FMS (15%); Opportunity–teachers reported 30–60 minutes as acceptable for assessing a class, a substantially shorter period than current assessments require; Motivation–57.2% stated FMS assessments would increase workload stress. Solutions to these issues are discussed using the COM-B theoretical framework.Economic and Social Research Council White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership Pathway Award [ES/P000745/1], ActEarly: a City Collaboratory approach to early promotion of good health and wellbeing funded by the Medical Research Council [MR/S037527/], National Institute for Health Research Yorkshire and Humber ARC [NIHR20016

Isolation of a natural DNA virus of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>, and characterisation of host resistance and immune responses

<div><p><i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> has played a key role in our understanding of invertebrate immunity. However, both functional and evolutionary studies of host-virus interaction in <i>Drosophila</i> have been limited by a dearth of native virus isolates. In particular, despite a long history of virus research, DNA viruses of <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i> have only recently been described, and none have been available for experimental study. Here we report the isolation and comprehensive characterisation of Kallithea virus, a large double-stranded DNA virus, and the first DNA virus to have been reported from wild populations of <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i>. We find that Kallithea virus infection is costly for adult flies, reaching high titres in both sexes and disproportionately reducing survival in males, and movement and late fecundity in females. Using the <i>Drosophila</i> Genetic Reference Panel, we quantify host genetic variance for virus-induced mortality and viral titre and identify candidate host genes that may underlie this variation, including <i>Cdc42-interacting protein 4</i>. Using full transcriptome sequencing of infected males and females, we examine the transcriptional response of flies to Kallithea virus infection and describe differential regulation of virus-responsive genes. This work establishes Kallithea virus as a new tractable model to study the natural interaction between <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i> and DNA viruses, and we hope it will serve as a basis for future studies of immune responses to DNA viruses in insects.</p></div