The Dead Butler revisited: grammatical accuracy and clarity in the English Primary Curriculum 2013–2014

This paper is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the grammatical description and advice contained in the new National Curriculum documentation from 2013, focusing on key stages 1 and 2. It builds on previous analyses of deficiencies in the systems of grammar and the materials in earlier incarnations of the National Curriculum. It suggests that there have been advances in the accuracy with which grammar terms are used and illustrated, although there is still no coherent overall view of what grammar is, nor a fully consistent approach to describing language. In addition, the lack of any pedagogic guidance save the most basic suggests that knowledge about language may continue to be taught in a way which is incompatible with real understanding and more in line with prescriptivist approaches

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Assessment of the estuarine shoreline microplastics and mesoplastics of the River Itchen, Southampton (UK) for contaminants and for their interaction with invertebrate fauna

The presence of shoreline microplastics (1–5 mm) and mesoplastics (5–25 mm) in estuarine ecosystems is ubiquitous, but there remains little data on their composition, contamination status and ecological impacts. Chessel Bay Nature Reserve, situated in the internationally protected Itchen Estuary in Southampton, UK, has serious issues with shoreline plastic accumulation. In evaluating potentially adverse ecological impacts, the influence of quantities of shoreline microplastic (mp) and mesoplastic (MeP) material and adsorbed contaminants (PAHs and trace metals) on the biometrics and population dynamics of the burrowing supralittoral amphipod, Orchestia gammarellus, was assessed in this study. mp/MeP concentrations were variable in surface (0–42%: 0–422,640 mg/kg dry sediment) and subsurface horizons (0.001–10%: 11—97,797 mg/kg dry sediment). Secondary microplastics accounted for 77% of the total microplastic load (dominated by fragments and foams), but also comprised 23% nurdles/pellets (primary microplastics). Sorption mechanisms between contaminants and natural sediments were proposed to be the main contributor to the retention of PAHs and trace metal contaminants and less so, by mp/MeP. O. gammarellus populations showed a positive correlation with microplastic concentrations (Spearman correlation, R = 0.665, p = 0.036). Some reported toxicological thresholds were exceeded in sediments, but no impacts related to chemical contaminant concentrations were demonstrated. This study highlights a protected site with the severe plastic contamination, and the difficulty in demonstrating in situ ecotoxicological impacts