A new spatially and temporally variable sigma parameter in degree-day melt modelling of the Greenland Ice Sheet 1870–2013

The degree-day based method of calculating ice-/snow-melt across the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) commonly includes the temperature parameter sigma (σ) accounting for temperature variability on short (sub-monthly down to hourly) timescales, in order to capture melt in months where the mean temperature is below 0 °C. Sigma is typically assumed to be constant in space and time, with values ranging from ~ 2.5 to 5.5 °C. It is unclear in many cases how these values were derived and little sensitivity analysis or validation has been conducted. Here we determine spatially and temporally varying monthly values of σ for the unique, extended 1870–2013 timescale based on downscaled, corrected European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim (ERA-I) and Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) meteorological reanalysis 2 m air temperatures on a 5 km × 5 km polar stereographic grid for the GrIS. The resulting monthly σ values reveal a distinct seasonal cycle. The mean summer σ value for the study period is ~ 3.2 °C, around 1 °C lower than the value of 4.2 °C commonly used in the literature. Sigma values for individual summers range from 1.7 to 5.9 °C. Since the summer months dominate the melt calculation, use of the new variable σ parameter would lead to a smaller melt area and a more positive surface mass balance for the GrIS. Validation of our new variable σ dataset shows good agreement with standard deviations calculated from automatic weather station observations across the ice sheet. Trend analysis shows large areas of the ice sheet exhibit statistically significant increasing temperature variability from 1870–2013 in all seasons, with notable exceptions around Summit in spring, and Summit and South Dome in winter. More recently, since 1990, σ has been decreasing, significantly so in the north-west during July. These interannual σ trends reflect climate change and variability processes operating across the ice sheet, several mechanisms of which are briefly discussed

The Scottish economy [July 1981]

The current economic situation is extremely depressed and recent events suggest that, without significant increases in economic activity, the political and social fabric of this country may be several strained. However, as argued in the UK section, the prospects for recovery are bleak and reliance on a purely financial strategy to restore growth is in itself inadequate. The source of real economic growth lies in the ability of labour, capital and enterprise to come together in a manner conducive to increased productivity over time. It is therefore worthwhile examining these factors of production to determine the effect of current policies upon them

Design of beam optics for the Future Circular Collider e+e- -collider rings

A beam optics scheme has been designed for the Future Circular Collider-e+e- (FCC-ee). The main characteristics of the design are: beam energy 45 to 175 GeV, 100 km circumference with two interaction points (IPs) per ring, horizontal crossing angle of 30 mrad at the IP and the crab-waist scheme [1] with local chromaticity correction. The crab-waist scheme is implemented within the local chromaticity correction system without additional sextupoles, by reducing the strength of one of the two sextupoles for vertical chromatic correction at each side of the IP. So-called "tapering" of the magnets is applied, which scales all fields of the magnets according to the local beam energy to compensate for the effect of synchrotron radiation (SR) loss along the ring. An asymmetric layout near the interaction region reduces the critical energy of SR photons on the incoming side of the IP to values below 100 keV, while matching the geometry to the beam line of the FCC proton collider (FCC-hh) [2] as closely as possible. Sufficient transverse/longitudinal dynamic aperture (DA) has been obtained, including major dynamical effects, to assure an adequate beam lifetime in the presence of beamstrahlung and top-up injection. In particular, a momentum acceptance larger than +/-2% has been obtained, which is better than the momentum acceptance of typical collider rings by about a factor of 2. The effects of the detector solenoids including their compensation elements are taken into account as well as synchrotron radiation in all magnets. The optics presented in this paper is a step toward a full conceptual design for the collider. A number of issues have been identified for further study

How should we measure psychological resilience in sport performers?

Psychological resilience is important in sport because athletes must constantly withstand a wide range of pressures to attain and sustain high performance. To advance psychologists’ understanding of this area, there exists an urgent need to develop a sport-specific measure of resilience. The purpose of this paper is to review psychometric issues in resilience research and to discuss the implications for sport psychology. Drawing on the wider general psychology literature to inform the discussion, the narrative is divided into three main sections relating to resilience and its assessment: adversity, positive adaptation, and protective factors. The first section reviews the different ways that adversity has been measured and considers the potential problems of using items with varying degrees of controllability and risk. The second section discusses the different approaches to assessing positive adaptation and examines the issue of circularity pervasive in resilience research. The final section explores the various issues related to the assessment of protective factors drawing directly from current measures of resilience in other psychology sub-disciplines. The commentary concludes with key recommendations for sport psychology researchers seeking to develop a measure of psychological resilience in athletes

Review of the quarter's economic trends [October 1981]

In the second quarter of 1981 the index of industrial production for the United Kingdom was 8% below its level for the corresponding period in 1980. This notwithstanding, there do appear to be signs that the bottom of the output trough may now have been reached. This brief section will seek to understand the latest UK and world economic data to determine current economic conditions and forecasts future trends

Evolutionary Toggling of Vpx/Vpr Specificity Results in Divergent Recognition of the Restriction Factor SAMHD1

SAMHD1 is a host restriction factor that blocks the ability of lentiviruses such as HIV-1 to undergo reverse transcription in myeloid cells and resting T-cells. This restriction is alleviated by expression of the lentiviral accessory proteins Vpx and Vpr (Vpx/Vpr), which target SAMHD1 for proteasome-mediated degradation. However, the precise determinants within SAMHD1 for recognition by Vpx/Vpr remain unclear. Here we show that evolution of Vpx/Vpr in primate lentiviruses has caused the interface between SAMHD1 and Vpx/Vpr to alter during primate lentiviral evolution. Using multiple HIV-2 and SIV Vpx proteins, we show that Vpx from the HIV-2 and SIVmac lineage, but not Vpx from the SIVmnd2 and SIVrcm lineage, require the C-terminus of SAMHD1 for interaction, ubiquitylation, and degradation. On the other hand, the N-terminus of SAMHD1 governs interactions with Vpx from SIVmnd2 and SIVrcm, but has little effect on Vpx from HIV-2 and SIVmac. Furthermore, we show here that this difference in SAMHD1 recognition is evolutionarily dynamic, with the importance of the N- and C-terminus for interaction of SAMHD1 with Vpx and Vpr toggling during lentiviral evolution. We present a model to explain how the head-to-tail conformation of SAMHD1 proteins favors toggling of the interaction sites by Vpx/Vpr during this virus-host arms race. Such drastic functional divergence within a lentiviral protein highlights a novel plasticity in the evolutionary dynamics of viral antagonists for restriction factors during lentiviral adaptation to its hosts. © 2013 Fregoso et al

Alcohol consumption, masculinity, and alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour in sportspeople

Alcohol Research UK; Australian Research Council in collaboration with VicHealth; Alcohol and Drug Foundation; Australian National Preventative Health Agenc

TEAD and YAP regulate the enhancer network of human embryonic pancreatic progenitors.

The genomic regulatory programmes that underlie human organogenesis are poorly understood. Pancreas development, in particular, has pivotal implications for pancreatic regeneration, cancer and diabetes. We have now characterized the regulatory landscape of embryonic multipotent progenitor cells that give rise to all pancreatic epithelial lineages. Using human embryonic pancreas and embryonic-stem-cell-derived progenitors we identify stage-specific transcripts and associated enhancers, many of which are co-occupied by transcription factors that are essential for pancreas development. We further show that TEAD1, a Hippo signalling effector, is an integral component of the transcription factor combinatorial code of pancreatic progenitor enhancers. TEAD and its coactivator YAP activate key pancreatic signalling mediators and transcription factors, and regulate the expansion of pancreatic progenitors. This work therefore uncovers a central role for TEAD and YAP as signal-responsive regulators of multipotent pancreatic progenitors, and provides a resource for the study of embryonic development of the human pancreas

Effect of Self-monitoring and Medication Self-titration on Systolic Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

IMPORTANCE: Self-monitoring of blood pressure with self-titration of antihypertensives (self-management) results in lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, but there are no data about patients in high-risk groups. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of self-monitoring with self-titration of antihypertensive medication compared with usual care on systolic blood pressure among patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A primary care, unblinded, randomized clinical trial involving 552 patients who were aged at least 35 years with a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease and with baseline blood pressure of at least 130/80 mm Hg being treated at 59 UK primary care practices was conducted between March 2011 and January 2013. INTERVENTIONS: Self-monitoring of blood pressure combined with an individualized self-titration algorithm. During the study period, the office visit blood pressure measurement target was 130/80 mm Hg and the home measurement target was 120/75 mm Hg. Control patients received usual care consisting of seeing their health care clinician for routine blood pressure measurement and adjustment of medication if necessary. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the difference in systolic blood pressure between intervention and control groups at the 12-month office visit. RESULTS: Primary outcome data were available from 450 patients (81%). The mean baseline blood pressure was 143.1/80.5 mm Hg in the intervention group and 143.6/79.5 mm Hg in the control group. After 12 months, the mean blood pressure had decreased to 128.2/73.8 mm Hg in the intervention group and to 137.8/76.3 mm Hg in the control group, a difference of 9.2 mm Hg (95% CI, 5.7-12.7) in systolic and 3.4 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.8-5.0) in diastolic blood pressure following correction for baseline blood pressure. Multiple imputation for missing values gave similar results: the mean baseline was 143.5/80.2 mm Hg in the intervention group vs 144.2/79.9 mm Hg in the control group, and at 12 months, the mean was 128.6/73.6 mm Hg in the intervention group vs 138.2/76.4 mm Hg in the control group, with a difference of 8.8 mm Hg (95% CI, 4.9-12.7) for systolic and 3.1 mm Hg (95% CI, 0.7-5.5) for diastolic blood pressure between groups. These results were comparable in all subgroups, without excessive adverse events. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with hypertension at high risk of cardiovascular disease, self-monitoring with self-titration of antihypertensive medication compared with usual care resulted in lower systolic blood pressure at 12 months

"Just Going Through the Motions.…": A Qualitative Exploration of Athlete Perceptions of Social Loafing in Training and Competition Contexts - Implications for Team Sport Coaches

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty team sport athletes representing a range of different sports with the aim of investigating their views relating to social loafing in training and competition. General themes investigated and subsequent content analysis highlighted factors that promote or reduce the extent of social loafing. Determinants of self-loafing were grouped according to three distinct categories: Group processes; Task characteristics and Individual perceptions. Social loafing among others was perceived to be prevalent in both the training and competition scenarios with more examples of social loafing provided in the training situation. The signs of social loafing were grouped according to the following themes: Cognitive & Emotional, Behavioural, Communication and Player Intuition. Consequences of social loafing were found to be detrimental to the effort and performance of both the individual and the team. Athletes were also able to differentiate between perceived social loafing and the perceived use of ‘strategic rest’ in team sports. Implications for the coaching process are far reaching with the need to develop an effective team culture and to provide training sessions that are interesting, engaging and relevant