Commentary : missing targets on drugs-related deaths, and a Scottish paradox

The 10-year drug strategy for England and Wales was published in February 2008. It dropped drugs-related deaths (DRDs) as a key performance indicator. Scotland retained a necessary strong focus on DRDs. Scotland's DRDs numbered 1006 in 2000–02 and 1009 in 2003–05. The previous Scottish administration's claim that its number of current injectors had decreased substantially between 2000 and 2003 implied, paradoxically, that their DRD rate would have to have increased. Worse was to come: Scotland's DRDs had increased to 876 in 2006 + 2007. We analyse UK's DRDs by sex and age-group to reveal temporal trends (2000–02 versus 2003–05 versus 2006 + 2007) with different public health and epidemiological implications. We also address the above Scottish paradox and assess, by age-group, how consistent Scotland's 876 DRDs in 2006 + 2007 are with Scottish injectors’ DRD rate in 2003–05 of around 1 per 100 injector-years. Public health success in the UK in reducing DRDs at younger ages should not be overshadowed by the late consequence in terms of older-age DRDs of UK's injector epidemics; in the early 1980s in Scotland, and late 1980s in England and Wales. Targets for reducing DRDs should pay heed to UK's injector epidemics

Dynamics of contact line motion during the wetting of rough surfaces and correlation with topographical surface parameters

Dynamics of contact line motion and wettability is essential in many industrial applications such as liquid coating, lubrication, printing, painting, condensation, etc. However, the wettability of surfaces depends not only on liquid–solid chemical properties but also can be strongly affected by surface roughness. As a practical application of controlled wettability, we can mention the self-cleaning surfaces, protective clothing, microfluidics devices, electro wetting, etc. In this article, we experimentally investigate the spreading of droplets deposited onto rough surfaces. Anisotropic surfaces were prepared by abrasive polishing on the following materials: aluminium alloy AA7064, titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, steel AISI 8630, copper alloy UNS C17000, machinable glass ceramic, and poly-methylmethacrylate. Topographical 2D parameters were calculated according to the following standards, defining Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS): ISO 4287, ISO 12085, ISO 13565, ISO 12780, and ISO 12181. The influence of topographical parameters on wettability and spreading phenomenon has been evaluated by statistical covariance analysis. The following parameters have strong influence on fluid spreading on rough surfaces: Rmr is the relative material ratio of the roughness profile, Trc is the microgeometric material ratio, Pmr is the relative material ratio of the raw profile, Kr is the mean slope of the roughness motifs, RONt is the peak to valley roundness deviation, and Psk is the Skewness of the raw profile. The physical meaning of selected parameters is discussed, and Kr (the mean slope of the roughness motifs) is selected as the most important and physically meaningful parameter. It has been found that for all tested materials, fluid spreading shows increasing tendency when mean slope of the roughness motifs (Kr) increases. SCANNING 33: 1–8, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Wettability versus roughness of engineering surfaces

Wetting of real engineering surfaces occurs in many industrial applications (liquid coating, lubrication, printing, painting, ...). Forced and natural wetting can be beneficial in many cases, providing lubrication and therefore reducing friction and wear. However the wettability of surfaces can be strongly affected by surface roughness. This influence can be very significant for static and dynamic wetting [1]. In this paper authors experimentally investigate the roughness influence on contact angle measurements and propose a simple model combining Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter theories with simple 2D roughness profile analysis. The modelling approach is applied to real homogeneous anisotropic surfaces, manufactured on a wide range of engineering materials including aluminium alloy, iron alloy, copper, ceramic, plastic (poly-methylmethacrylate: PMMA) and titanium alloy

Mobile Communications Technologies in Tree Time: The Listening Wood

This article presents a practice-led investigation by a cross-disciplinary team of artists and computer scientists into the potential for mobile and digital communications technologies to engage visitors to London’s Hampstead Heath with the histories of its veteran urban trees. Focusing on the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies within the arboreal environment for the digital poetic walk, The Listening Wood, it considers the reciprocal impact of ‘tree time’ on the development of ‘slow tech’

Mdm2 binding to a conformationally sensitive domain on p53 can be modulated by RNA

AbstractBiochemical characterisation of the interaction of mdm2 protein with p53 protein has demonstrated that full-length mdm2 does not bind stably to p53–DNA complexes, contrasting with C-terminal truncations of mdm2 which do bind stably to p53–DNA complexes. In addition, tetrameric forms of the p53His175 mutant protein in the PAb1620+ conformation are reduced in binding to mdm2 protein. These data suggest that the mdm2 binding site in the BOX-I domain of p53 becomes concealed when either p53 binds to DNA or when the core domain of p53 is unfolded by missense mutation. This further suggests that the C-terminus of mdm2 protein contains a negative regulatory domain that affects mdm2 protein binding to a second, conformationally sensitive interaction site in the core domain of p53. We investigated whether there was a second docking site on p53 for mdm2 protein by examining the interaction of full-length mdm2 with p53 lacking the BOX-I domain. Although mdm2 protein did bind very weakly to p53 protein lacking the BOX-I domain, addition of RNA activated mdm2 protein binding to this truncated form of p53. These data provide evidence for three previously undefined regulatory stages in the p53–mdm2 binding reaction: (1) conformational changes in p53 protein due to DNA binding or point mutation conceals a secondary docking site of mdm2 protein; (2) the C-terminus of mdm2 is the primary determinant which confers this property upon mdm2 protein; and (3) mdm2 protein binding to this secondary interaction site within p53 can be stabilised by RNA

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17 : analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15072746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54•0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38•1–65•8), 17•4% (7•7–28•4), and 59•5% (34•2–86•9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationates Foundation

Testing the recovery of stellar rotation signals from Kepler light curves using a blind hare-and-hounds exercise

We present the results of a blind exercise to test the recoverability of stellar rotation and differential rotation in Kepler light curves. The simulated light curves lasted 1000 days and included activity cycles, Sun-like butterfly patterns, differential rotation and spot evolution. The range of rotation periods, activity levels and spot lifetime were chosen to be representative of the Kepler data of solar like stars. Of the 1000 simulated light curves, 770 were injected into actual quiescent Kepler light curves to simulate Kepler noise. The test also included five 1000-day segments of the Sun's total irradiance variations at different points in the Sun's activity cycle. Five teams took part in the blind exercise, plus two teams who participated after the content of the light curves had been released. The methods used included Lomb-Scargle periodograms and variants thereof, auto-correlation function, and wavelet-based analyses, plus spot modelling to search for differential rotation. The results show that the `overall' period is well recovered for stars exhibiting low and moderate activity levels. Most teams reported values within 10% of the true value in 70% of the cases. There was, however, little correlation between the reported and simulated values of the differential rotation shear, suggesting that differential rotation studies based on full-disk light curves alone need to be treated with caution, at least for solar-type stars. The simulated light curves and associated parameters are available online for the community to test their own methods.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Accepted, 13 April 2015. Received, 26 March 2015; in original form, 9 November 201

Folivore caterpillars on Roupala montana Aubl. (Proteaceae) in Cerrado Sensu Stricto

No cerrado a riqueza de espécies de lepidópteros é alta e confirmada por registros de adultos, mas o conhecimento sobre as interações das lagartas com suas plantas hospedeiras ainda é incipiente. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram conhecer a riqueza de espécies de lepidópteros folívoros em Roupala montana Abl., a idade relativa das folhas consumidas pelas espécies e suas amplitudes de dietas. Os dados foram coletados em áreas de cerrado sensu stricto de Brasília de 1991 a 2004. As lagartas encontradas foram coletadas e criadas no laboratório. Foram registradas 62 espécies de lepidópteros de 22 famílias, consumindo folhas jovens (8%) e maduras (92%) de R. montana. Cerconota sciaphilina (Zeller) (Elachistidae), duas espécies de Gracillariidae e uma de Gelechiidae consumiram somente folhas jovens e, apresentaram ciclo de vida curto e sincronizado com a fenologia foliar da planta hospedeira. Das espécies que consomem folhas maduras, 36 foram consideradas polífagas e mostraram variação muito grande na utilização do recurso. Vinte e seis espécies foram encontradas somente em R. montana, sendo que 58% delas são bastante raras, o que dificulta análise de amplitude de dieta. As espécies monófagas em R. montana foram Chlamydastis platyspora (Meyrick) (Elachistidae), Stenoma cathosiota Meyrick (Elachistidae), Idalus prop. sublineata (Rothschild) (Arctiidae) e Eomichla sp. (Oecophoridae).Richness of lepidopteran species in the cerrado is high. The confirmation of this richness is based on adult records but knowledge of larvae-host plants interactions is still incipient. The main purpose of this work was to identify folivorous caterpillar species on Roupala montana Aubl. in areas of a Brazilian cerrado sensu stricto, their dietary range, and the relative age of the consumed leaves richness. Three data sets, collected from 1991 to 2004 were used in this study. All caterpillars found on the host plants in the field were collected and reared in the laboratory. Sixty-two lepidopteran species from 22 families were recorded; they were found feeding on new (8%) and mature (92%) leaves of R. montana. Cerconota sciaphilina (Zeller) (Elachistidae), two unidentified Gracillariidae species and, one species of Gelechiidae fed only on new leaves. These species showed a short life cycle, which was very syncronized with the host plant foliar phenology. Among the species feeding on mature leaves, 36 were considered polyphagous and, these showed a large variation in the use of the food resource. Twenty-six species were found only on R. montana, 58% were very rare, a character that difficults the analysis of their dietary range. The monophagous species on R. montana were: Chlamydastis platyspora (Meyrick) (Elachistidae), Stenoma cathosiota Meyrick (Elachistidae), Idalus prop. sublineata (Rothschild) (Arctiidae), and Eomichla sp. (Oecophoridae)

Internet of Things of Trees - Conversational objects via SMS protocols

The paper describes a ‘work in progress’ to develop a system to enable users to engage with the historical and environmental story behind veteran trees in Hampstead Heath in the spirit of the Internet of Things. Unlike other ‘Internet of Trees’ projects, this study focuses on story telling rather than sensor networks. Building on previous work, conversational agents (‘chatbots’) are used as proxies for the trees to enable a two-way narrative exchange between the user and the ‘tree’. Two interaction pathways are proposed (direct SMS and web-based geofencing) and the technical development of both approaches is described, as well as ethnographic studies undertaken on Hampstead Heath to elicit engaging content for the chatbot. An initial deployment of the SMS-based interaction at Tate Exchange, a project space within Tate Modern, London is discussed and a preliminary evaluation presented