Using engineering design tools in multidisciplinary distributed student teams

Collaborative design practice in distributed student teams is becoming more popular as technology makes it easier to communicate ideas with others that are geographically distant. However, a challenge for students is to use design tools which they are not familiar with. These design tools usually differ from each other and engineers may find it much more difficult to share their ideas. This could make the whole design process longer and less successful. Each year the University of Malta, City University London and University of Strathclyde organise a joint collaborative design project, involving engineering students with different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. In this paper, the patterns of use of design tools by students to collaborate with each other are investigated. Based on survey results of students, this paper proposes an approach which can be utilised by engineering students to enhance collaboration in multidisciplinary distributed design teams

A Case of Cholangitis Glandularis Proliferans and Cholangiocarcinoma of the Common Bile Duct

A case of Cholangitis Glandularis Proliferans (CAGP) in association with a cholangiocarcinoma of the common bile duct as described. This is the eighth case of CAGP described and the second association with cholangiocarcinoma

Phosphorus sorption characteristics and interactions with leaf litter‑derived dissolved organic matter leachate in iron‑rich sediments of a sub‑tropical ephemeral stream

This study investigated the infuence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) additions on phosphate sorption kinetics of iron-rich sediments (39–50% hematite and goethite) from an ephemeral stream in the arid Pilbara region of sub-tropical northwest Australia. While phosphate sorption in stream sediments is known to be strongly infuenced by sediment mineralogy as well as interactions with DOM, the mechanisms and signifcance of DOM on P-release from sediments with high sorption capacities, are largely undescribed. We assessed phosphorus (P) sorption behaviours by adding a range of solutions of known inorganic P concentrations that were amended with variable loadings of DOM derived from leachates of leaf litter to sediments from stream pools during the non-fowing phase. We compared the sorption capacity of the sediments and concurrent changes in DOM composition measured using fuorescence spectroscopy. We show that the low-dose DOM addition (~ 4 mg L−1 DOC) had the efect of reducing sediment P adsorption capacity, while for the high-dose DOM addition (~ 45 mg L−1 DOC), it was increased. The high-dose DOM was similar to pore water DOC and likely saturated sediment surface adsorption sites and produced P–OM–Fe complexes. This resulted in increased removal of P from solution. Sediment P sorption characteristics were well ftted to both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models regardless of DOC concentration. Langmuir P sorption maxima ranged from 0.106 to 0.152 mg g−1. General P sorption characteristics of these iron-rich sediments did not difer among pools of contrasting hydrological connectivity. Our results show how humic-rich DOM can modulate the sediment P availability in dryland streams. Unravelling the complexities of P availability is of particular significance to further our understanding of biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems where P often acts as a limiting nutrient

Circadian rhythmicity in emerging mood disorders: state or trait marker?

Background: Circadian rhythm disturbances overlap with the symptoms of mood episodes and may trigger or prolong mood symptoms. There is limited research on the role of circadian disturbances in mood disorders in young people and/or first episode cases of unipolar and bipolar disorders. Methods: Actigraphy was undertaken for about 14 days in 63 post-pubertal individuals aged 13–25 years with a recent onset of a mood disorder meeting recognised diagnostic criteria. We examined associations between three easily interpretable markers of circadian rhythm activity (amplitude, acrophase and rhythmicity index) and demography and clinical characteristics. Then, circadian markers were compared between diagnostic groups, controlling for potential confounders. Results: Longer duration of illness was correlated with reduced circadian rhythmicity and lower levels of activity over 24 h. A delay in the timing of maximum activity was associated with the level of manic but not depressive symptoms. The circadian rhythmicity index differentiated unipolar from bipolar cases, and in bipolar but not unipolar disorder, the rhythmicity was less robust in those with more severe manic or depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Less robust circadian rhythmicity, especially associated with increasing symptom severity, may represent a more specific or a trait marker of young people with mood disorders who are at higher risk of a bipolar course of illness

Methodological standards, quality of reporting, and regulatory compliance in animal research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review

Objectives The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research community was one of the first to adopt methodology guidelines to improve preclinical research reproducibility. We here present the results of a systematic review to investigate how the standards in this field changed over the 10-year period during which the guidelines were first published (2007) and updated (2010). Methods We searched for papers reporting ALS research on SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) mice published between 2005 and 2015 on the ISI Web of Science database, resulting in a sample of 569 papers to review, after triage. Two scores—one for methodological quality, one for regulatory compliance—were built from weighted sums of separate sets of items, and subjected to multivariable regression analysis, to assess how these related to publication year, type of study, country of origin and journal. Results Reporting standards improved over time. Of papers published after the first ALS guidelines were made public, fewer than 9% referred specifically to these. Of key research parameters, only three (genetic background, number of transgenes and group size) were reported in >50% of the papers. Information on housing conditions, randomisation and blinding was absent in over two-thirds of the papers. Group size was among the best reported parameters, but the majority reported using fewer than the recommended sample size and only two studies clearly justified group size. Conclusions General methodological standards improved gradually over a period of 8–10 years, but remained generally comparable with related fields with no specific guidelines, except with regard to severity. Only 11% of ALS studies were classified in the highest severity level (animals allowed to reach death or moribund stages), substantially below the proportion in studies of comparable neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s. The existence of field-specific guidelines, although a welcome indication of concern, seems insufficient to ensure adherence to high methodological standards. Other mechanisms may be required to improve methodological and welfare standards

Abnormalities in whisking behaviour are associated with lesions in brain stem nuclei in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The transgenic SOD1G93A mouse is a model of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and recapitulates many of the pathological hallmarks observed in humans, including motor neuron degeneration in the brain and the spinal cord. In mice, neurodegeneration particularly impacts on the facial nuclei in the brainstem. Motor neurons innervating the whisker pad muscles originate in the facial nucleus of the brain stem, with contractions of these muscles giving rise to “whisking” one of the fastest movements performed by mammals. A longitudinal study was conducted on SOD1G93A mice and wild-type litter mate controls, comparing: (i) whisker movements using high-speed video recordings and automated whisker tracking, and (ii) facial nucleus degeneration using MRI. Results indicate that while whisking still occurs in SOD1G93A mice and is relatively resistant to neurodegeneration, there are significant disruptions to certain whisking behaviours, which correlate with facial nuclei lesions, and may be as a result of specific facial muscle degeneration. We propose that measures of mouse whisker movement could potentially be used in tandem with measures of limb dysfunction as biomarkers of disease onset and progression in ALS mice and offers a novel method for testing the efficacy of novel therapeutic compounds

Systematic review and meta-analysis of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and respiratory condition epidemiology in sexual minority women

Objective Sexual minority women (SMW) experience higher chronic disease risk factors than heterosexual counterparts. However, it was unclear if these risks translate into higher physical condition rates. This systematic review evaluates cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, respiratory disease and diabetes mellitus in SMW. Methods A protocol was registered with the Prospero database (CRD42016050299). Included were studies reporting mortality, incidence or prevalence of the above-listed conditions in SMW compared with heterosexual women. Databases (platforms) searched from 2010 to December 2016 were Medline (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (Elsevier), PsycINFO (Ovid), Social Policy and Practice (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), Science Citation Index (Web of Science), and CAB Abstracts (Ovid). Search terms included Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and text words. Extensive additional searches were conducted in specialist academic journals and websites. Two reviewers checked study eligibility. One independently extracted data and assessed quality, checked by a second reviewer, with disagreements resolved through discussion. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme cohort checklist was used to assess risk of bias. Meta-analysis was conducted where more than four studies reported the same outcomes, with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, using adjusted ORs (AORs) and random-effects models. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 test. Results Identified were 23 103 citations, 692 full texts screened and 16 studies included (in 18 papers). One reported mortality (from Denmark), none incidence and 15 prevalence (14 USA, 1 Australia). Same-sex cohabiting women had higher mortality rates compared with opposite-sex cohabiting women in CVD (HR=1.37 (95% CI 1.22 to 1.54)) and respiratory disease (HR=2.10 (95% CI 1.74 to 2.53)). AOR meta-analyses of seven studies showed higher asthma rates in lesbians (OR=1.44 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.64), I2=0%) and bisexual women (OR=1.64 (95% CI 1.41 to 1.89), I2=0%) but no differences for CVD (5 studies), hypertension (5 studies) or diabetes mellitus (7 studies). Conclusions These new health estimates require further confirmatory epidemiological studies, and investigation into potential environmental, hormonal, physiological, psychological or genetic causes. This would be supported by routine collection of sexual identity measures in population-level epidemiological surveys

Thermal Stability and Rehybridization of Carbon Bonding in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

We preform a quantitative investigation of the energetics of thermally induced sp3 → sp2 conversion of carbon-carbon bonds in tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films by using near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and Raman spectroscopy. We investigate the evolution of the bonding configuration in ta-C thin films subjected to high temperature annealing in flowing Argon gas using a rapid thermal annealing furnace over the range of 200-1000 ºC. We observe no substantial change in bonding structure below 600 ºC, and by 1000 ºC a significant increase in the sp2 bonding in the film is observed. No oxygen bonding is detected in the NEXAFS spectra, but we do observe an isosbestic point, demonstrating that the thermally driven sp3 → sp2 conversion reaction occurs without passing through an intermediate transition state. This allows us to use NEAFS spectra of thermally annealed ta-C films to quantitatively determine that the activation energy for directly converting the sp3-bonded carbon to the s

IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS FROM THE LEAVES OF FELICIA MURICATA THUNB. AN UNDERUTILIZED MEDICINAL PLANT IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

Felicia muricata is a medicinal plant used for the management of different human and livestock diseases in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The antioxidant potential of the leaves from this herb was investigated using its water, methanol, acetone and ethanol extracts. All the extracts were rich in phenols, proanthocyanidins and flavonols but low in flavonoids. The water extract exhibited low DPPH scavenging activity while the methanol, acetone and ethanol extracts showed higher activities. Again all the extracts showed high ABTS scavenging activity with a correlation between total phenolic content (R2=0.9965), DPPH (R2 =0.982) and ABTS (R2=0.927). Traditionally, however, plant extracts are prepared with water as infusions, decoction and poultice. Our results have shown that both the water and ethanol extracts from Felicia muricata displayed strong antioxidant activity. Therefore, it would seem likely that both solvents were able to extract those compounds which are responsible for the antioxidant activity of F. muricata