Improved Laboratory Transition Probabilities for Neutral Chromium and Re-determination of the Chromium Abundance for the Sun and Three Stars

Branching fraction measurements from Fourier transform spectra in conjunction with published radiative lifetimes are used to determine transition probabilities for 263 lines of neutral chromium. These laboratory values are employed to derive a new photospheric abundance for the Sun: log $\epsilon$(Cr I)$_{\odot}$ = 5.64$\pm$0.01 ($\sigma = 0.07$). These Cr I solar abundances do not exhibit any trends with line strength nor with excitation energy and there were no obvious indications of departures from LTE. In addition, oscillator strengths for singly-ionized chromium recently reported by the FERRUM Project are used to determine: log $\epsilon$(Cr II)$_{\odot}$ = 5.77$\pm$0.03 ($\sigma = 0.13$). Transition probability data are also applied to the spectra of three stars: HD 75732 (metal-rich dwarf), HD 140283 (metal-poor subgiant), and CS 22892-052 (metal-poor giant). In all of the selected stars, Cr I is found to be underabundant with respect to Cr II. The possible causes for this abundance discrepancy and apparent ionization imbalance are discussed.Comment: 44 pages, 6 figure

Changes in CEBPB expression in circulating leukocytes following eccentric elbow-flexion exercise

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer via the DOI in this record.In mouse models, CCAAT enhancer-binding protein beta (CEBPB) is necessary for M2 macrophage-mediated regeneration after muscle injury. In humans, CEBPB expression in blood was strongly associated with muscle strength. In this study we aimed to test whether CEBPB expression in blood in people is increased 2 days after exercise designed to induce muscle damage and subsequent repair. Sixteen healthy male volunteers undertook elbow flexor exercises designed to induce acute muscle micro-damage. Peripheral blood samples were collected at baseline and days 1, 2, 4 and 7 following exercise. Expression of CEBPB and related genes were analysed by qRT-PCR. Extent of muscle damage was determined by decline in maximal voluntary isometric torque and by plasma creatine kinase activity. Nine subjects had peak (day 4) creatine kinase activity exceeding 10,000 U/l. In this subgroup, CEBPB expression was elevated from baseline to 2 days post exercise (paired-samples t (1,8) = 3.72, p = 0.006). Related expression and selected cytokine changes after exercise did not reach significance. Muscle-damaging exercise in humans can be followed by induction of CEBPB transcript expression in peripheral blood. Associations between CEBPB expression in blood and muscle strength may be consistent with the CEBPB-dependent muscle repair process.Wellcome TrustNational Institute for Health Researc

L-citrulline supplementation improves O2 uptake kinetics and high-intensity exercise performance in humans

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Physiological Society via the DOI in this record.The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of L-citrulline (CIT) and L-arginine (ARG) supplementation on nitric oxide (NO) biomarkers, pulmonary O2 uptake (VO2) kinetics and exercise performance. In a randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, ten healthy adult males completed moderate- and severe-intensity cycling exercise on days 6 and 7 of a 7 day supplementation period with placebo (PLA), 6 g•day(-1) of ARG and 6 g•day(-1) of CIT. Compared to PLA, plasma [ARG] was increased by a similar magnitude with ARG and CIT supplementation, but plasma [CIT] was only increased (P0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that short-term CIT, but not ARG, supplementation can improve blood pressure, VO2 kinetics and exercise performance in healthy adults

A Process for the Production of 2-Alkyl or 2-Cycloalkyl-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidines

Production of 2-alkyl- or cycloalkyl-4-methyl-6- hydroxypyrimidines by first neutralizing an alkyl imidate ester hydrochloride with a base in the presence of a water-immiscible solvent for the alkyl imidate ester to be freed thereby; condensing the alkyl imidate ester with diketene to form an oxazinone intermediate, which is then reacted in organic solution with gaseous ammonia and recovering the desired substituted 6-hydroxypyrimidine

Age-dependent patterns of bovine tuberculosis in cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is an important livestock disease, seriously impacting cattle industries in both industrialised and pre-industrialised countries. Like TB in other mammals, infection is life long and, if undiagnosed, may progress to disease years after exposure. The risk of disease in humans is highly age-dependent, however in cattle, age-dependent risks have yet to be quantified, largely due to insufficient data and limited diagnostics. Here, we estimate age-specific reactor rates in Great Britain by combining herd-level testing data with spatial movement data from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Using a catalytic model, we find strong age dependencies in infection risk and that the probability of detecting infection increases with age. Between 2004 and 2009, infection incidence in cattle fluctuated around 1%. Age-specific incidence increased monotonically until 24-36 months, with cattle aged between 12 and 36 months experiencing the highest rates of infection. Beef and dairy cattle under 24 months experienced similar infection risks, however major differences occurred in older ages. The average reproductive number in cattle was greater than 1 for the years 2004-2009. These methods reveal a consistent pattern of BTB rates with age, across different population structures and testing patterns. The results provide practical insights into BTB epidemiology and control, suggesting that targeting a mass control programme at cattle between 12 and 36 months could be beneficial.EBP is funded by an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) fellowship. JLNW is supported by the Alborada Trust and the RAPIDD program of the Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Fogarty International Center, U.S. National Institutes of Health. AJKC is supported by Defra grant no. SE-3127. TJM is supported by the BBSRC. We thank Steve Holdship and Rose Nicholson at Defra the AHVLA team for providing access to the CTS and VetNet

Reductions of Hidden Information Sources

In all but special circumstances, measurements of time-dependent processes reflect internal structures and correlations only indirectly. Building predictive models of such hidden information sources requires discovering, in some way, the internal states and mechanisms. Unfortunately, there are often many possible models that are observationally equivalent. Here we show that the situation is not as arbitrary as one would think. We show that generators of hidden stochastic processes can be reduced to a minimal form and compare this reduced representation to that provided by computational mechanics--the epsilon-machine. On the way to developing deeper, measure-theoretic foundations for the latter, we introduce a new two-step reduction process. The first step (internal-event reduction) produces the smallest observationally equivalent sigma-algebra and the second (internal-state reduction) removes sigma-algebra components that are redundant for optimal prediction. For several classes of stochastic dynamical systems these reductions produce representations that are equivalent to epsilon-machines.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures; 30 citations; Updates at http://www.santafe.edu/~cm

Deposition of mercury in forests across a montane elevation gradient: Elevational and seasonal patterns in methylmercury inputs and production

Global mercury contamination largely results from direct primary atmospheric and secondary legacy emissions, which can be deposited to ecosystems, converted to methylmercury, and bioaccumulated along food chains. We examined organic horizon soil samples collected across an elevational gradient on Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack region of New York State, USA to determine spatial patterns in methylmercury concentrations across a forested montane landscape. We found that soil methylmercury concentrations were highest in the midelevation coniferous zone (0.39 ± 0.07 ng/g) compared to the higher elevation alpine zone (0.28 ± 0.04 ng/g) and particularly the lower elevation deciduous zone (0.17 ± 0.02 ng/g), while the percent of total mercury as methylmercury in soils decreased with elevation. We also found a seasonal pattern in soil methylmercury concentrations, with peak methylmercury values occurring in July. Given elevational patterns in temperature and bioavailable total mercury (derived from mineralization of soil organic matter), soil methylmercury concentrations appear to be driven by soil processing of ionic Hg, as opposed to atmospheric deposition of methylmercury. These methylmercury results are consistent with spatial patterns of mercury concentrations in songbird species observed from other studies, suggesting that future declines in mercury emissions could be important for reducing exposure of mercury to montane avian species.Key PointsTotal mercury and methylmercury concentrations and fluxes are examined across an elevational gradient on an Adirondack, New York mountainMethylmercury concentrations across the elevational gradient are greatest in midelevation coniferous zonesSoil methylmercury concentrations are driven by the internal processing of mercury, rather than external inputs of methylmercuryPlain Language SummaryOnce mercury is emitted into the atmosphere by anthropogenic sources, it can be deposited onto the Earth’s surface. This mercury can then be converted to its toxic form of methylmercury by microbes in the soil and can accumulate in birds, altering physiology, behavior, and reproduction. We examined soils from Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack region of New York State, USA to determine patterns in the production of methylmercury. We found that methylmercury in soils was highest in the mid‐elevation coniferous forests of the mountain and that the concentration appeared to be driven by soil microbes rather than direct deposition of mercury from the atmosphere. The finding of peak methylmercury at mid‐elevations was consistent with previous studies showing peak bird mercury concentrations at the same elevation. Thus, reductions in methylmercury concentrations in these forests is important to reducing bird mercury concentrations.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138300/1/jgrg20832_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138300/2/jgrg20832-sup-0001-2016JG003721-SI.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138300/3/jgrg20832.pd

Positive Imagery-Based Cognitive Bias Modification as a Web-Based Treatment Tool for Depressed Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Depression is a global health problem requiring treatment innovation. Targeting neglected cognitive aspects may provide a useful route. We tested a cognitive-training paradigm using positive mental imagery (imagery cognitive bias modification, imagery CBM), developed via experimental psychopathology studies, in a randomized controlled trial. Training was delivered via the Internet to 150 individuals with current major depression. Unexpectedly, there was no significant advantage for imagery CBM compared with a closely matched control for depression symptoms as a whole in the full sample. In exploratory analyses, compared with the control, imagery CBM significantly improved anhedonia over the intervention and improved depression symptoms as a whole for those participants with fewer than five episodes of depression and those who engaged to a threshold level of imagery. Results suggest avenues for improving imagery CBM to inform low-intensity treatment tools for depression. Anhedonia may be a useful treatment target for future work