Weathering the storm: developments in the acoustic sensing of wind and rain

An Acoustic Rain Gauge (ARG) analyses the underwater sound levels across a wide frequency range, classifies the observed spectrum according to likely source and then determines the local wind speed or rain rate as appropriate. Thispaper covers a trial on the Scotian Shelf off Canada, comparing the geophysical information derived from the acoustic signals with those obtained from other sources

Everything old is new again: Finding a place for knowledge structures in a satisficing world

The authors use an exploratory project involving Web resources related to Alzheimer’s Disease to explore ways in RDF metadata can more effectively translate the virtues of the traditional vertical file to a Web environment form using Semantic Web descriptive standards. In so doing, they argue against the separation of “bibliographic control” from the socially-embedded institutional practices of reference work, collection development, and the management of information ephemera. Libraries of the future will use specific Web technologies that lend themselves to sophisticated and rigorous knowledge structures, and link them with librarians’ skills in information harvesting and evaluatio

The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary project that has revealed the location, extent and character of the winter camp of the Viking Great Army at Torksey, Lincolnshire, of AD 872–3. The camp lay within a naturally defended area of higher ground, partially surrounded by marshes and bordered by the River Trent on its western side. It is considerably larger than the Viking camp of 873–4 previously excavated at Repton, Derbyshire, and lacks the earthwork defences identified there. Several thousand individuals overwintered in the camp, including warriors, craftworkers and merchants. An exceptionally large and rich metalwork assemblage was deposited during the Great Army’s overwintering, and metal processing and trading was undertaken. There is no evidence for a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon trading site here; the site appears to have been chosen for its strategic location and its access to resources. In the wake of the overwintering, Torksey developed as an important Anglo-Saxon borough with a major wheel-thrown pottery industry and multiple churches and cemeteries. The Torksey evidence allows for a radical reappraisal of the character of Viking winter camps, and the legacy of the Viking Great Army for Anglo-Saxon England

Measuring maternal mortality : an overview of opportunities and options for developing countries

Background:There is currently an unprecedented expressed need and demand for estimates of maternal mortality in developing countries. This has been stimulated in part by the creation of a Millennium Development Goal that will be judged partly on the basis of reductions in maternal mortality by 2015. Methods: Since the launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in 1987, new opportunities for data capture have arisen and new methods have been developed, tested and used. This paper provides a pragmatic overview of these methods and the optimal measurement strategies for different developing country contexts. Results: There are significant recent advances in the measurement of maternal mortality, yet also room for further improvement, particularly in assessing the magnitude and direction of biases and their implications for different data uses. Some of the innovations in measurement provide efficient mechanisms for gathering the requisite primary data at a reasonably low cost. No method, however, has zero costs. Investment is needed in measurement strategies for maternal mortality suited to the needs and resources of a country, and which also strengthen the technical capacity to generate and use credible estimates. Conclusion: Ownership of information is necessary for it to be acted upon: what you count is what you do. Difficulties with measurement must not be allowed to discourage efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Countries must be encouraged and enabled to count maternal deaths and act.WJG is funded partially by the University of Aberdeen. OMRC is partially funded by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. CS and SA are partially funded by Johns Hopkins University. CAZ is funded by the Health Metrics Network at the World Health Organization. WJG, OMRC, CS and SA are also partially supported through an international research program, Immpact, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Department for International Development, the European Commission and USAID

Antibiotic Resistance Gene Abundances Correlate with Metal and Geochemical Conditions in Archived Scottish Soils

The vast majority of antibiotic resistant genes (ARG) acquired by human pathogens have originated from the natural environment. Therefore, understanding factors that influence intrinsic levels of ARG in the environment could be epidemiologically significant. The selection for metal resistance often promotes AR in exposed organisms; however, the relationship between metal levels in nature and the intrinsic presence of ARG has not been fully assessed. Here, we quantified, using qPCR, the abundance of eleven ARG and compared their levels with geochemical conditions in randomly selected soils from a Scottish archive. Many ARG positively correlated with soil copper levels, with approximately half being highly significant (p<0.05); whereas chromium, nickel, lead, and iron also significantly correlated with specific ARG. Results show that geochemical metal conditions innately influence the potential for AR in soil. We suggest soil geochemical data might be used to estimate baseline gene presence on local, regional and global scales within epidemiological risk studies related to AR transmission from the environment

Possible dose dependent effect of perioperative dexamethasone and laparoscopic surgery on the postoperative systemic inflammatory response and complications following surgery for colon cancer

Background: Perioperative dexamethasone is associated with attenuation of the postoperative systemic inflammatory response and fewer postoperative complications following elective surgery for colorectal cancer. This study examined the impact of different doses of dexamethasone, given to reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after elective colonic resection for cancer, on the postoperative Glasgow Prognostic Score (poGPS) and morbidity. Methods: Patients from a single centre were included if they underwent potentially curative resection of colonic cancer from 2008 to 2017 (n = 480). Patients received no dexamethasone (209, 44%), or either 4 mg (166, 35%), or 8 mg (105, 21%), intravenously during anaesthesia, at the discretion of the anaesthetist. The postoperative Glasgow Prognostic Score (poGPS) on day 3 and 4, and complication rate at discharge were recorded. Results: When patients were grouped by surgical approach (open or laparoscopic) and dexamethasone dose (0 mg, 4 mg or 8 mg), there was a statistically significant linear trend toward a lower postoperative systemic inflammatory response (day 3 poGPS) with the use of minimally invasive surgery and higher doses of dexamethasone (p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, this combination of laparoscopic surgery and higher doses of dexamethasone was significantly associated with a lower proportion of postoperative complications (p &lt; 0.001). At multivariate Cox regression, dexamethasone was not significantly associated with either improved or poorer cancer specific or overall survival. Conclusions: Higher doses of perioperative dexamethasone are associated with greater reduction in postoperative systemic inflammation and complications following surgery for colonic cancer without negative impact on survival

Salt stress in the renal tubules is Linked to TAL specific expression of uromodulin and an upregulation of heat shock genes

Previously, our comprehensive cardiovascular characterisation study validated Uromodulin as a blood pressure gene. Uromodulin is a glycoprotein exclusively synthesised at the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle and is encoded by the Umod gene. Umod(-/-) mice have significantly lower blood pressure than Umod(+/+) mice, are resistant to salt-induced changes in blood pressure, and show a leftward shift in pressure-natriuresis curves reflecting changes of sodium reabsorption. Salt stress triggers transcription factors and genes that alter renal sodium reabsorption. To date there are no studies on renal transcriptome responses to salt stress. Here we aimed to delineate salt stress pathways in tubules isolated from Umod(+/+) mice (a model of sodium retention) and Umod(-/-) mice (a model of sodium depletion) +/-300mOsmol sodium chloride (n=3 per group) performing RNA-Seq. In response to salt stress, the tubules of Umod(+/+) mice displayed an up regulation of heat shock transcripts. The greatest changes occurred in the expression of: Hspa1a (Log2 fold change 4.35, p=2.48e-12) and Hspa1b (Log2 fold change 4.05, p=2.48e-12). This response was absent in tubules of Umod(-/-) mice. Interestingly, 7 of the genes discordantly expressed in the Umod(-/-) tubules were electrolyte transporters. Our results are the first to show that salt stress in renal tubules alters the transcriptome, increasing the expression of heat shock genes. This direction of effect in Umod(+/+) tubules suggest the difference is due to the presence of Umod facilitating greater sodium entry into the tubule cell reflecting a specific response to salt stress