Boundary work

Extending the debate on interactions between climate science and policy, Morecroft et al. provide a useful view from those who advise policymakers and environmental managers. Their point about turning policy into practice more often should be welcomed as part of a plan to communicate tangible examples of success, and 'good news' stories, to policymakers. This is particularly vital in light of Viner and Howarth's Commentary, which highlighted the lack of practitioners' knowledge in IPCC reports.This is the accepted manuscript of a paper published in Nature Climate Change 4, 1038 (2014) doi: 10.1038/nclimate244

Quantum jump Monte Carlo approach simplified: Abelian symmetries

We consider Markovian dynamics of a finitely dimensional open quantum system featuring a weak unitary symmetry, i.e., when the action of a unitary symmetry on the space of density matrices commutes with the master operator governing the dynamics. We show how to encode the weak symmetry in quantum stochastic dynamics of the system by constructing a weakly symmetric representation of the master operator: a symmetric Hamiltonian, and jump operators connecting only the symmetry eigenspaces with a fixed eigenvalue ratio. In turn, this representation simplifies both the construction of the master operator as well as quantum jump Monte Carlo simulations, where, for a symmetric initial state, stochastic trajectories of the system state are supported within a single symmetry eigenspace at a time, which is changed only by the action of an asymmetric jump operator. Our results generalize directly to the case of multiple Abelian weak symmetries

Reinforcement learning of rare diffusive dynamics

We present a method to probe rare molecular dynamics trajectories directly using reinforcement learning. We consider trajectories that are conditioned to transition between regions of configuration space in finite time, such as those relevant in the study of reactive events, and trajectories exhibiting rare fluctuations of time-integrated quantities in the long time limit, such as those relevant in the calculation of large deviation functions. In both cases, reinforcement learning techniques are used to optimize an added force that minimizes the Kullback–Leibler divergence between the conditioned trajectory ensemble and a driven one. Under the optimized added force, the system evolves the rare fluctuation as a typical one, affording a variational estimate of its likelihood in the original trajectory ensemble. Low variance gradients employing value functions are proposed to increase the convergence of the optimal force. The method we develop employing these gradients leads to efficient and accurate estimates of both the optimal force and the likelihood of the rare event for a variety of model systems

The UK Women's Cohort Study: comparison of vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters

Background: This paper describes the development of the UK Women's Cohort Study and presents cohort baseline characteristics. Methods: In total, 35 372 women, aged 35–69 years at recruitment, were selected to ensure a wide range of dietary intakes. Diet was assessed by a 217-item food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Detailed lifestyle information was collected by postal questionnaire. Vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters were compared. Results: The cohort women are mainly white, well-educated, middle-class and married with children. They are health-conscious with only 11% current smokers and 58% taking dietary supplements. Twenty-eight per cent of subjects self-report as being vegetarian and 1% as vegan. However, only 18% are defined as 'vegetarian' from the FFQ. Fat provides 32% of energy; vitamin and mineral intakes are high, with a broad range of intakes. Meat-eaters are older, with a higher body mass index (BMI) and the lowest intakes of carbohydrate, fibre, vitamin C, folate, iron and calcium. Other fish-eaters are similar to vegetarians. Vegetarians have the lowest intakes of protein, fat and saturated fat. Oily fish-eaters have the lowest BMI; are the least likely to smoke or use full-fat milk; and are the most likely to use dietary supplements and consume the most fruit and vegetables. Oily fish-eaters have the highest total energy intake and vegetarians the lowest. Semi-skimmed milk, bread, potatoes, wine, bananas and muesli are important contributors to energy for all groups

Metal–silicate partitioning of W and Mo and the role of carbon in controlling their abundances in the bulk silicate earth

The liquid metal–liquid silicate partitioning of molybdenum and tungsten during core formation must be well-constrained in order to understand the evolution of Earth and other planetary bodies, in particular because the Hf–W isotopic system is used to date early planetary evolution. The partition coefficients DMo and DW have been suggested to depend on pressure, temperature, silicate and metal compositions, although previous studies have produced varying and inconsistent models. Additionally, the high cationic charges of W and Mo in silicate melts make their partition coefficients particularly sensitive to oxygen fugacity. We combine 48 new high pressure and temperature experimental results with a comprehensive database of previous experiments to re-examine the systematics of Mo and W partitioning, and produce revised partitioning models from the large combined dataset. W partitioning is particularly sensitive to silicate and metallic melt compositions and becomes more siderophile with increasing temperature. We show that W has a 6+ oxidation state in silicate melts over the full experimental fO2 range of ΔIW −1.5 to −3.5. Mo has a 4+ oxidation state, and its partitioning is less sensitive to silicate melt composition but also depends on metallic melt composition. DMo stays approximately constant with increasing depth in Earth. Both W and Mo become more siderophile with increasing C content of the metal: we therefore performed experiments with varying C concentrations and fit epsilon interaction parameters:  = −7.03 ± 0.30 and  = −7.38 ± 0.57. W and Mo along with C are incorporated into a combined N-body accretion and core–mantle differentiation model, which already includes the major rock-forming elements as well as S, and moderately and highly siderophile elements. In this model, oxidation and volatility gradients extend through the protoplanetary disk so that Earth accretes heterogeneously. These gradients, as well as the metal–silicate equilibration pressure, are fitted using a least squares optimisation so that the model Earth-like planet reproduces the composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) in terms of 17 simulated element concentrations (Mg, Fe, Si, Ni, Co, Nb, Ta, V, Cr, S, Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir, W, Mo, and C). The effects of the interaction of W and Mo with Si, S, O, and C in metal are included. Using this model with six separate terrestrial planet accretion simulations, we show that W and Mo require the early accreting Earth to be sulfur-depleted and carbon-enriched so that W and Mo are efficiently partitioned into Earth’s core and do not accumulate in the mantle. When this is the case, the produced Earth-like planets possess mantle compositions matching the BSE for all simulated elements. However, there are two distinct groups of estimates of the bulk mantle’s C abundance in the literature: low (∼100 ppm) and high (∼800 ppm), and all six models are consistent with the higher estimated carbon abundance. The low BSE C abundance would be achievable when the effects of the segregation of dispersed metal droplets produced in deep magma oceans by the disproportionation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ plus metallic Fe is included

Socioeconomic status is associated with symptom severity and sickness absence in people with infectious intestinal disease in the UK

BACKGROUND: The burden of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the UK is substantial. Negative consequences including sickness absence are common, but little is known about the social patterning of these outcomes, or the extent to which they relate to disease severity. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis using IID cases identified from a large population-based survey, to explore the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and symptom severity and sickness absence; and to assess the role of symptom severity on the relationship between SES and absence. Regression modelling was used to investigate these associations, whilst controlling for potential confounders such as age, sex and ethnicity. RESULTS: Among 1164 cases, those of lower SES versus high had twice the odds of experiencing severe symptoms (OR 2.2, 95%CI;1.66-2.87). Lower SES was associated with higher odds of sickness absence (OR 1.8, 95%CI;1.26-2.69), however this association was attenuated after adjusting for symptom severity (OR 1.4, 95%CI;0.92-2.07). CONCLUSIONS: In a large sample of IID cases, those of low SES versus high were more likely to report severe symptoms, and sickness absence; with greater severity largely explaining the higher absence. Public health interventions are needed to address the unequal consequences of IID identified

Socioeconomic status and infectious intestinal disease in the community: a longitudinal study (IID2 study).

Infectious intestinal diseases (IID) are common, affecting around 25% of people in UK each year at an estimated annual cost to the economy, individuals and the NHS of £1.5 billion. While there is evidence of higher IID hospital admissions in more disadvantaged groups, the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and risk of IID remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between SES and IID in a large community cohort.Longitudinal analysis of a prospective community cohort in the UK following 6836 participants of all ages was undertaken. Hazard ratios for IID by SES were estimated using Cox proportional hazard, adjusting for follow-up time and potential confounding factors.In the fully adjusted analysis, hazard ratio of IID was significantly lower among routine/manual occupations compared with managerial/professional occupations (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61-0.90).In this large community cohort, lower SES was associated with lower IID risk. This may be partially explained by the low response rate which varied by SES. However, it may be related to differences in exposure or recognition of IID symptoms by SES. Higher hospital admissions associated with lower SES observed in some studies could relate to more severe consequences, rather than increased infection risk

Mathematics difficulties in extremely preterm children : evidence of a specific deficit in basic mathematics processing

Background: Extremely preterm (EP, <26 wk gestation) children have been observed to have poor academic achievement in comparison to their term-born peers, especially in mathematics. This study investigated potential underlying causes of this difficulty. Methods: A total of 219 EP participants were compared with 153 term-born control children at 11 y of age. All children were assessed by a psychologist on a battery of standardized cognitive tests and a number estimation test assessing children’s numerical representations. Results: EP children underperformed in all tests in comparison with the term controls (the majority of Ps < 0.001). Different underlying relationships between performance on the number estimation test and mathematical achievement were found in EP as compared with control children. That is, even after controlling for cognitive ability, a relationship between number representations and mathematical performance persisted for EP children only (EP: r = 0.346, n = 186, P < 0.001; control: r = 0.095, n = 146, P = 0.256). Conclusion: Interventions for EP children may target improving children’s numerical representations in order to subsequently remediate their mathematical skills

Decision support tools for agriculture: Towards effective design and delivery

Decision support tools, usually considered to be software-based, may be an important part of the quest for evidence-based decision-making in agriculture to improve productivity and environmental outputs. These tools can lead users through clear steps and suggest optimal decision paths or may act more as information sources to improve the evidence base for decisions. Yet, despite their availability in a wide range of formats, studies in several countries have shown uptake to be disappointingly low. This paper uses a mixed methods approach to investigate the factors affecting the uptake and use of decision support tools by farmers and advisers in the UK. Through a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys, we found that fifteen factors are influential in convincing farmers and advisers to use decision support tools, which include usability, cost-effectiveness, performance, relevance to user, and compatibility with compliance demands. This study finds a plethora of agricultural decision support tools in operation in the UK, yet, like other studies, shows that their uptake is low. A better understanding of the fifteen factors identified should lead to more effective design and delivery of tools in the future.This research was funded as part of Defra's Sustainable Intensification Platform (Project Code LM0201). In addition, WJS was funded by Arcadia, LVD was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council under the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme, grant code NE/K015419/1. T.A. was supported by the European Commission's Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship Programme (PIIF-GA-2011-303221) and the Isaac Newton Trust.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.09.00