An Examination of the Feasibility of Linear Deterministic Sea Wave Prediction in Multi-Directional Seas Using Wave Profiling Radar: Theory, Simulation and Sea Trials

This is the final version of the article. Available from the American Meteorological Society via the DOI in this record.For a number of maritime tasks there is a short time period, typically only a few tens of seconds, where a critical event occurs which defines a limiting wave height for the whole operation. Examples are the recovery of fixed and rotary winged aircraft, cargo transfers, final pipe mating in fluid transfer operations and launch/recovery of small craft. The recovery of a 30 ton rescue submersible onto a mother ship in the NATO Submarine Rescue System is a prime example. In such applications short term Deterministic Sea Wave Prediction (DSWP) can play a vital role in extending the sea states under which the system can be safely deployed. DSWP also has great potential in conducting experimental sea wave research at full scale. This report explores the feasibility of using data from an experimental wave profiling radar in achieving DSWP. The report includes theory, simulation and field testing. Two forms of DSWP are employed, a fixed point system based upon a restricted set of wave directions, from which we obtain some success, and the other a fully two dimensional technique, which requires further development. The main finding is that using wave profiling radar for DSWP offers promise but requires improvements both to the spatial reliability and resolution of the wave profiling radar, and to the temporal resolution of its sweep before the technique can be considered to be viable as a usable tool.The authors acknowledge funding from the European Union FP7 and U.K. Ministry of Defence NSRS projects

An in vivo control map for the eukaryotic mRNA translation machinery

Rate control analysis defines the in vivo control map governing yeast protein synthesis and generates an extensively parameterized digital model of the translation pathway. Among other non-intuitive outcomes, translation demonstrates a high degree of functional modularity and comprises a non-stoichiometric combination of proteins manifesting functional convergence on a shared maximal translation rate. In exponentially growing cells, polypeptide elongation (eEF1A, eEF2, and eEF3) exerts the strongest control. The two other strong control points are recruitment of mRNA and tRNAi to the 40S ribosomal subunit (eIF4F and eIF2) and termination (eRF1; Dbp5). In contrast, factors that are found to promote mRNA scanning efficiency on a longer than-average 5′untranslated region (eIF1, eIF1A, Ded1, eIF2B, eIF3, and eIF5) exceed the levels required for maximal control. This is expected to allow the cell to minimize scanning transition times, particularly for longer 5′UTRs. The analysis reveals these and other collective adaptations of control shared across the factors, as well as features that reflect functional modularity and system robustness. Remarkably, gene duplication is implicated in the fine control of cellular protein synthesis

Planar projections of graphs

We introduce and study a new graph representation where vertices are embedded in three or more dimensions, and in which the edges are drawn on the projections onto the axis-parallel planes. We show that the complete graph on $n$ vertices has a representation in $\lceil \sqrt{n/2}+1 \rceil$ planes. In 3 dimensions, we show that there exist graphs with $6n-15$ edges that can be projected onto two orthogonal planes, and that this is best possible. Finally, we obtain bounds in terms of parameters such as geometric thickness and linear arboricity. Using such a bound, we show that every graph of maximum degree 5 has a plane-projectable representation in 3 dimensions.Comment: Accepted at CALDAM 202

Altered organization of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton and relocalization of proteostasis modulators in cells lacking the ataxia protein sacsin

This work was supported by BBSRC [BB/L02294X/1]; the CIHR Rare Disease Emerging Team grant, the Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay Foundation; Muscular Dystrophy Canada and Barts and the London Charity [417/1699]. The LSM880 confocal used in these studies was purchased through a Barts and the London Charity grant MGU0293

Cross-species gene expression analysis of species specific differences in the preclinical assessment of pharmaceutical compounds

Animals are frequently used as model systems for determination of safety and efficacy in pharmaceutical research and development. However, significant quantitative and qualitative differences exist between humans and the animal models used in research. This is as a result of genetic variation between human and the laboratory animal. Therefore the development of a system that would allow the assessment of all molecular differences between species after drug exposure would have a significant impact on drug evaluation for toxicity and efficacy. Here we describe a cross-species microarray methodology that identifies and selects orthologous probes after cross-species sequence comparison to develop an orthologous cross-species gene expression analysis tool. The assumptions made by the use of this orthologous gene expression strategy for cross-species extrapolation is that; conserved changes in gene expression equate to conserved pharmacodynamic endpoints. This assumption is supported by the fact that evolution and selection have maintained the structure and function of many biochemical pathways over time, resulting in the conservation of many important processes. We demonstrate this cross-species methodology by investigating species specific differences of the peroxisome proliferatoractivator receptor (PPAR) a response in rat and human

Routine serum biomarkers, but not dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, correlate with cortical bone mineral density in children and young adults with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) are thought to be poor predictors of bone mineral density (BMD). The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines suggest using DXA if the results will affect patient management, but this has not been studied in children or young adults in whom bone mineral accretion continues to 30 years of age. We studied the clinical utility of DXA and serum biomarkers against tibial cortical BMD (CortBMD) measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography, expressed as Z-score CortBMD, which predicts fracture risk. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional multicentre study in 26 patients with CKD4 and 5 and 77 on dialysis. RESULTS: Significant bone pain that hindered activities of daily living was present in 58%, and 10% had at least one low-trauma fracture. CortBMD and cortical mineral content Z-scores were lower in dialysis compared with CKD patients (P = 0.004 and P = 0.02). DXA BMD hip and lumbar spine Z-scores did not correlate with CortBMD or biomarkers. CortBMD was negatively associated with parathyroid hormone (PTH; r = -0.44, P < 0.0001) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP; r = -0.22, P = 0.03) and positively with calcium (Ca; r = 0.33, P = 0.001). At PTH <3 times upper limit of normal, none of the patients had a CortBMD below -2 SD (odds ratio 95% confidence interval 7.331 to infinity). On multivariable linear regression PTH (β = -0.43 , P < 0.0001), ALP (β = -0.36, P < 0.0001) and Ca (β = 0.21, P = 0.005) together predicted 57% of variability in CortBMD. DXA measures did not improve this model. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, routinely used biomarkers, PTH, ALP and Ca, but not DXA, are moderate predictors of cortical BMD. DXA is not clinically useful and should not be routinely performed in children and young adults with CKD 4-5D

Continuous Interaction with a Virtual Human

Attentive Speaking and Active Listening require that a Virtual Human be capable of simultaneous perception/interpretation and production of communicative behavior. A Virtual Human should be able to signal its attitude and attention while it is listening to its interaction partner, and be able to attend to its interaction partner while it is speaking – and modify its communicative behavior on-the-fly based on what it perceives from its partner. This report presents the results of a four week summer project that was part of eNTERFACE’10. The project resulted in progress on several aspects of continuous interaction such as scheduling and interrupting multimodal behavior, automatic classification of listener responses, generation of response eliciting behavior, and models for appropriate reactions to listener responses. A pilot user study was conducted with ten participants. In addition, the project yielded a number of deliverables that are released for public access

Body image, body dissatisfaction and weight status in south asian children: a cross-sectional study

Background Childhood obesity is a continuing problem in the UK and South Asian children represent a group that are particularly vulnerable to its health consequences. The relationship between body dissatisfaction and obesity is well documented in older children and adults, but is less clear in young children, particularly South Asians. A better understanding of this relationship in young South Asian children will inform the design and delivery of obesity intervention programmes. The aim of this study is to describe body image size perception and dissatisfaction, and their relationship to weight status in primary school aged UK South Asian children. Methods Objective measures of height and weight were undertaken on 574 predominantly South Asian children aged 5-7 (296 boys and 278 girls). BMI z-scores, and weight status (underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese) were calculated based on the UK 1990 BMI reference charts. Figure rating scales were used to assess perceived body image size (asking children to identify their perceived body size) and dissatisfaction (difference between perceived current and ideal body size). The relationship between these and weight status were examined using multivariate analyses. Results Perceived body image size was positively associated with weight status (partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs. non-overweight/obese was 0.63 (95% CI 0.26-0.99) and for BMI z-score was 0.21 (95% CI 0.10-0.31), adjusted for sex, age and ethnicity). Body dissatisfaction was also associated with weight status, with overweight and obese children more likely to select thinner ideal body size than healthy weight children (adjusted partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs. non-overweight/obese was 1.47 (95% CI 0.99-1.96) and for BMI z-score was 0.54 (95% CI 0.40-0.67)). Conclusions Awareness of body image size and increasing body dissatisfaction with higher weight status is established at a young age in this population. This needs to be considered when designing interventions to reduce obesity in young children, in terms of both benefits and harms

The inflammatory microenvironment in colorectal neoplasia

Peer reviewedPublisher PD