Ultraviolet photochemistry of 2-bromothiophene explored using universal ionization detection and multi-mass velocity-map imaging with a PImMS2 sensor

This project is funded by EPSRC Programme Grant No. EP/L005913/1. The raw ion events data and calculation log files can be retrieved from the University of Bristol’s research data repository and can be accessed using the following DOI:10.5523/bris.k35bi3pqsdbh2b5moo2e3puxf.The ultraviolet photochemistry of 2-bromothiophene (C4H3SBr) has been studied across the wavelength range 265-245 nm using a velocity-map imaging (VMI) apparatus recently modified for multi-mass imaging and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 118.2 nm) universal ionization. At all wavelengths, molecular products arising from the loss of atomic bromine were found to exhibit recoil velocities and anisotropies consistent with those reported elsewhere for the Br fragment [J. Chem. Phys. 142, 224303 (2015)]. Comparison between the momentum distributions of the Br and C4H3S fragments suggests that bromine is formed primarily in its ground (2P3/2) spin-orbit state. These distributions match well at high momentum, but relatively fewer slow moving molecular fragments were detected. This is explained by the observation of a second substantial ionic product, C3H3+. Analysis of ion images recorded simultaneously for several ion masses and the results of high-level ab initio calculations suggest that this fragment ion arises from dissociative ionization (by the VUV probe laser) of the most internally excited C4H3S fragments. This study provides an excellent benchmark for the recently modified VMI instrumentation and offers a powerful demonstration of the emerging field of multi-mass VMI using event-triggered, high frame-rate sensors, and universal ionization.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Sleep-disordered breathing was associated with lower health-related quality of life and cognitive function in a cross-sectional study of older adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The clinical significance of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) in older age is uncertain. This study determined the prevalence and associations of SDB with mood, daytime sleepiness, quality of life (QOL) and cognition in a relatively healthy older Australian cohort. METHODS: A cross‐sectional analysis was conducted from the Study of Neurocognitive Outcomes, Radiological and retinal Effects of Aspirin in Sleep Apnoea. Participants completed an unattended limited channel sleep study to measure the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) to define mild (ODI 5–15) and moderate/severe (ODI ≥ 15) SDB, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Scale, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the 12‐item Short‐Form for QOL and neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: Of the 1399 participants (mean age 74.0 years), 36% (273 of 753) of men and 25% (164 of 646) of women had moderate/severe SDB. SDB was associated with lower physical health‐related QOL (mild SDB: beta coefficient [β] −2.5, 95% CI −3.6 to −1.3, p < 0.001; moderate/severe SDB: β −1.8, 95% CI −3.0 to −0.6, p = 0.005) and with lower global composite cognition (mild SDB: β −0.1, 95% CI −0.2 to 0.0, p = 0.022; moderate/severe SDB: β −0.1, 95% CI −0.2 to 0.0, p = 0.032) compared to no SDB. SDB was not associated with daytime sleepiness nor depression. CONCLUSION: SDB was associated with lower physical health‐related quality of life and cognitive function. Given the high prevalence of SDB in older age, assessing QOL and cognition may better delineate subgroups requiring further management, and provide useful treatment target measures for this age group

Shedding Light on Fish Otolith Biomineralization Using a Bioenergetic Approach

Otoliths are biocalcified bodies connected to the sensory system in the inner ears of fish. Their layered, biorhythm-following formation provides individual records of the age, the individual history and the natural environment of extinct and living fish species. Such data are critical for ecosystem and fisheries monitoring. They however often lack validation and the poor understanding of biomineralization mechanisms has led to striking examples of misinterpretations and subsequent erroneous conclusions in fish ecology and fisheries management. Here we develop and validate a numerical model of otolith biomineralization. Based on a general bioenergetic theory, it disentangles the complex interplay between metabolic and temperature effects on biomineralization. This model resolves controversial issues and explains poorly understood observations of otolith formation. It represents a unique simulation tool to improve otolith interpretation and applications, and, beyond, to address the effects of both climate change and ocean acidification on other biomineralizing organisms such as corals and bivalves

The Spectrum of Neurological and White Matter Changes and Premutation Status Categories of Older Male Carriers of the FMR1 Alleles Are Linked to Genetic (CGG and FMR1 mRNA) and Cellular Stress (AMPK) Markers

The fragile X premutation (PM) allele contains a CGG expansion of 55–200 repeats in the FMR1 gene’s promoter. Male PM carriers have an elevated risk of developing neurological and psychiatric changes, including an approximately 50% risk of the fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The aim of this study was to assess the relationships of regional white matter hyperintensities (wmhs) semi-quantitative scores, clinical status, motor (UPDRS, ICARS, Tremor) scales, and cognitive impairments, with FMR1-specific genetic changes, in a sample of 32 unselected male PM carriers aged 39–81 years. Half of these individuals were affected with FXTAS, while the non-FXTAS group comprised subcategories of non-affected individuals and individuals affected with non-syndromic changes. The dynamics of pathological processes at the cellular level relevant to the clinical status of PM carriers was investigated using the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a highly sensitive cellular stress-sensing alarm protein. This enzyme, as well as genetic markers – CGG repeat number and the levels of the FMR1 mRNA – were assessed in blood lymphoblasts. The results showed that the repeat distribution for FXTAS individuals peaked at 85–90 CGGs; non-FXTAS carriers were distributed within the lowest end of the PM repeat range, and non-syndromic carriers assumed an intermediate position. The size of the CGG expansion was significantly correlated, across all three categories, with infratentorial and total wmhs and with all motor scores, and the FMR1 mRNA levels with all the wmh scores, whilst AMPK activity showed considerable elevation in the non-FXTAS combined group, decreasing in the FXTAS group, proportionally to increasing severity of the wmhs and tremor/ataxia. We conclude that the size of the CGG expansion relates to the risk for FXTAS, to severity of infratentorial wmhs lesions, and to all three motor scale scores. FMR1 mRNA shows a strong association with the extent of wmhs, which is the most sensitive marker of the pathological process. However, the AMPK activity findings – suggestive of a role of this enzyme in the risk of FXTAS – need to be verified and expanded in future studies using larger samples and longitudinal assessment

Self-help groups challenge health care systems in the US and UK

Purpose: This research considers how self-help groups (SHGs) and self- help organizations (SHOs) contribute to consumerist trends in two different societies: United States and United Kingdom. How do the health care systems and the voluntary sectors affect the kinds of social changes that SHGs/SHOs make? Methodology/approach: A review of research on the role of SHGs/SHOs in contributing to national health social movements in the UK and US was made. Case studies of the UK and the US compare the characteristics of their health care systems and their voluntary sector. Research reviews of two community level self-help groups in each country describe the kinds of social changes they made. Findings: The research review verified that SHGs/SHOs contribute to national level health social movements for patient consumerism. The case studies showed that community level SHGs/SHOs successfully made the same social changes but on a smaller scale as the national movements, and the health care system affects the kinds of community changes made. Research limitations: A limited number of SHGs/SHOs within only two societies were studied. Additional SHGs/SHOs within a variety of societies need to be studied. Originality/value of chapter Community SHGs/SHOs are often trivialized by social scientists as just inward-oriented support groups, but this chapter shows that local groups contribute to patient consumerism and social changes but in ways that depend on the kind of health care system and societal context

‘That’s how Muslims are required to view the world’:race, culture and belief in non-Muslims’ descriptions of Islam and science

Islam’s positioning in relation to Western ideals of individuality, freedom, women’s rights and democracy has been an abiding theme of sociological analysis and cultural criticism, especially since September 11th 2001. Less attention has been paid, however, to another concept that has been central to the image of Western modernity: science. This article analyzes comments about Islam gathered over the course of 117 interviews and 13 focus groups with non-Muslim members of the public and scientists in the UK and Canada on the theme of the relationship between science and religion. The article shows how participants’ accounts of Islam and science contrasted starkly with their accounts of other religious traditions, with a notable minority of predominantly non-religious interviewees describing Islam as uniquely, and uniformly, hostile to science and rational thought. It highlights how such descriptions of Islam were used to justify the cultural othering of Muslims in the West and anxieties about educational segregation, demographic ‘colonization’ and Islamist extremism. Using these data, the article argues for: 1) wider recognition of how popular understandings of science remain bound up with conceptions of Western cultural superiority; and 2) greater attentiveness to how prejudices concerning Islamic beliefs help make the idea that Muslims pose a threat to the West respectable

Beyond the therapeutic: a Habermasian view of self-help groups’ place in the public sphere

Self-help groups in the United Kingdom continue to grow in number and address virtually every conceivable health condition, but they remain the subject of very little theoretical analysis. The literature to date has predominantly focused on their therapeutic effects on individual members. And yet they are widely presumed to fulfil a broader civic role and to encourage democratic citizenship. The article uses Habermas’ model of the public sphere as an analytical tool with which to reconsider the literature on self-help groups in order to increase our knowledge of their civic functions. In doing this it also aims to illustrate the continuing relevance of Habermas’ work to our understanding of issues in health and social care. We consider, within the context of current health policies and practices, the extent to which self-help groups with a range of different forms and functions operate according to the principles of communicative rationality that Habermas deemed key to democratic legitimacy. We conclude that self-help groups’ civic role is more complex than is usually presumed and that various factors including groups’ leadership, organisational structure and links with public agencies can affect their efficacy within the public sphere

The great melting pot. Common sole population connectivity assessed by otolith and water fingerprints

Quantifying the scale and importance of individual dispersion between populations and life stages is a key challenge in marine ecology. The common sole (Solea solea), an important commercial flatfish in the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has a marine pelagic larval stage, a benthic juvenile stage in coastal nurseries (lagoons, estuaries or shallow marine areas) and a benthic adult stage in deeper marine waters on the continental shelf. To date, the ecological connectivity among these life stages has been little assessed in the Mediterranean. Here, such an assessment is provided for the first time for the Gulf of Lions, NW Mediterranean, based on a dataset on otolith microchemistry and stable isotopic composition as indicators of the water masses inhabited by individual fish. Specifically, otolith Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca profiles, and delta C-13 and delta O-18 values of adults collected in four areas of the Gulf of Lions were compared with those of young-of-the-year collected in different coastal nurseries. Results showed that a high proportion of adults (>46%) were influenced by river inputs during their larval stage. Furthermore Sr/Ca ratios and the otolith length at one year of age revealed that most adults (similar to 70%) spent their juvenile stage in nurseries with high salinity, whereas the remainder used brackish environments. In total, data were consistent with the use of six nursery types, three with high salinity (marine areas and two types of highly saline lagoons) and three brackish (coastal areas near river mouths, and two types of brackish environments), all of which contributed to the replenishment of adult populations. These finding implicated panmixia in sole population in the Gulf of Lions and claimed for a habitat integrated management of fisherie