78 research outputs found
Onshore carboniferous basins : third review report
focussed on achieving a better understanding of the Bowland Shale in northern England. The broad
aim is to understand the geological variability of the formation from a basin- through to microscale,
and assess the impact of variability on hydrocarbon generation, storage and production (for
example, the co-incidence or otherwise of factors including organic content and kerogen type;
mineralogy; and engineering behaviour).
This report is the third summary report describing activities of the consortium, covering the period
October 2015 – June 2016. A series of 3 inter-related work packages are designed to improve
understanding of the Bowland Shale of northern England. The original numbering of these is
retained to allow continuity between previous progress reports. Specifically, these work packages
address:
1. Work Package 1,2: Basin analysis of the Pennine Basin; Characterization of shale facies;
2. Work Package 3: Development of chemical stratigraphies through prospective parts of the
stratigraphic column;
3. Work Package 4: Hydromechanical behaviour of shales.
Two work packages outside the consortium are also considered, namely
4. Retrieval of new materials to test
5. Reprocessing of 3D seismic data to assess rock properties
Descriptions of previous activities have been released, covering the period July 2014 to March
2015 (Hough et al., 2015a), and the period April 2015 to September 2015 (Hough et al., 2015b).
The consortium currently has 4 sponsors who each contribute £25 000 per year; BGS contributes
around £200 000 annually, which results in an annual budget of approximately £300 000. The
consortium is planned to last 3 years initially, and started in July 2014 with a scheduled end date
of June 2017
Suppression of circulating IgD+CD27+ memory B cells in infants living in a malaria-endemic region of Kenya
Background: Plasmodium falciparum infection leads to alterations in B cell subset distribution. During infancy,
development of peripheral B cell subsets is also occurring. However, it is unknown if infants living a malaria
endemic region have alterations in B cell subsets that is independent of an age effect.
Methods: To evaluate the impact of exposure to P. falciparum on B cell development in infants, flow cytometry
was used to analyse the distribution and phenotypic characteristic of B cell subsets in infant cohorts prospectively
followed at 12, 18 and 24 months from two geographically proximate regions in western Kenya with divergent
malaria exposure i.e. Kisumu (malaria-endemic, n = 24) and Nandi (unstable malaria transmission, n = 21).
Results: There was significantly higher frequency and absolute cell numbers of CD19+ B cells in Kisumu relative to
Nandi at 12(p = 0.0440), 18(p = 0.0210) and 24 months (p = 0.0493). No differences were observed between the
infants from the two sites in frequencies of naïve B cells (IgD+CD27-) or classical memory B cells (IgD-CD27+).
However, immature transitional B cells (CD19+CD10+CD34-) were higher in Kisumu relative to Nandi at all three
ages. In contrast, the levels of non-class switched memory B cells (CD19+IgD+CD27+) were significantly lower
overall in Kisumu relative to Nandi at significantly at 12 (p = 0.0144), 18 (p = 0.0013) and 24 months (p = 0.0129).
Conclusions: These data suggest that infants living in malaria endemic regions have altered B cell subset
distribution. Further studies are needed to understand the functional significance of these changes and long-term
impact on ability of these infants to develop antibody responses to P. falciparum and heterologous infections
Yield characteristics of caprocks: a criticial state mechanics approach
The yield behaviour of both clay soils and reservoir materials can effectively be assessed using critical state
mechanics. Nevertheless, this approach has been relatively unused, in relation to caprock materials and the shape
of the yield envelope is poorly-constrained in comparison. In this study, we present experimental data on the
hydromechanical behaviour of caprocks and their associated critical state yield envelopes. The degree of
uncertainty in the form of the yield surface is considered, before the likely consequences of various stress path
scenarios is examined. The potential for permeability enhancement versus reduction is also considered and the
influence of stress history is found to be key. This approach demonstrates the potential for yield to be reached
during some depletion scenarios, though this deformation is often compactive and permeability-reducing in
nature. As such, the critical state approach represents an effective tool for assessing performance of caprocks
under a range of potential stress paths
Summary of recommendations for the design of clinical trials and the registration of drugs used in the treatment of asthma
With new drugs being introduced to treat asthma it is timely to review criteria that can be used to assess efficacy in clinical trials. Anti-asthma drugs are classified into symptoms-modifying, symptom preventers and disease modifying agents. Attention is drawn to the types of experimental evidence required in preclinical studies to support further clinical development of a new therapy. Clinical trials demand careful selection of patients to maximise the strength of the efficacy signal according to the type of trial being designed. While provocation tests are useful in suggesting efficacy, negative tests do not necessarily indicate lack of anti-asthma activity. Therapeutic trial designs need to take account of duration of treatment, dose–response relationships and confirmatory trials. Outcome measures include symptoms, lung function, reduction in concomitant medication, exacerbations, quality of life and measures of inflammation. Interpretation of results need to include the clinical relevance of any changes as well as statistical significance. Special consideration needs to be given to the evaluation of drugs for acute severe asthma, asthma in children and older people, co-morbidity such as rhinitis, and inhaler devices. As with all drugs introduced into practice, careful attention needs to be paid to both short- and long-term safety
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