The Information Content of Pore Fluid δ^(18)O and [CI^-]

Paleoceanographic proxies indicate that the ocean state during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) differed from the modern ocean state. Depth profiles of ocean sediment pore fluid δ^(18)O and [Cl^−] have been used to reconstruct the δ^(18)O and salinity at the LGM. Here, it is investigated whether pore fluid profiles can constrain ocean δ^(18)O and salinity at other times and, simultaneously, their ability to constrain the LGM δ^(18)O and salinity. An inverse framework is developed that relies on Bayesian parameter estimation, thus allowing formal separation of prior assumptions from the information in observations. Synthetic problems are used to explore the information about past ocean tracers that can be recovered from pore fluid profiles. It is concluded that prior knowledge of deep ocean mixing time scales is essential to an accurate inverse estimate of LGM ocean salinity and δ^(18)O from modern pore fluid profiles. The most recent 10 000 years of ocean salinity and δ^(18)O and the error in their estimates are better constrained by the pore fluid profiles than are the LGM values. The inverse estimate of salinity and δ^(18)O is strongly correlated with the estimate of diffusivity of oxygen isotopes and [Cl^−] in sediment pore fluids. Uncertainty on the diffusivity of oxygen isotopes and chloride in sediments is reduced through inversion of the pore fluid profiles, but simultaneous estimation of δ^(18)O or salinity and diffusivity increases the total uncertainty. The error reported in previous work may underestimate the true uncertainty of LGM deep ocean salinity and δ^(18)O

High performance glucose/O2 biofuel cell: effect of utilizing purified laccase with anthracene-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes

pre-printLaccase, a blue multicopper oxidoreductase enzyme, is a robust enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of oxygen to water and has been shown previously to perform improved direct electron transfer in a biocathode when mixed with anthracene-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Previous cathode construction used crude laccase enzyme isolated as a brown cell extract powder containing both active and inactive proteins. Purification of this enzyme, yielding a blue solution, resulted in greatly improved enzyme activity and removed insulating protein that competed for docking space in this cathodic system. Cyclic voltammetry of the purified biocathodes showed a background subtracted limiting current density of 1.84 (±0.05) mA/cm2 in a stationary air-saturated system. Galvanostatic and potentiostatic stability experiments show that the biocathode maintains up to 75% and 80% of the original voltage and current respectively over 24 hours of constant operation. Inclusion of the biocathode in a glucose/O2 biofuel cell using a mediated glucose oxidase (GOx) anode produced maximum current and power densities of 1.28 (±0.18) mA/cm2 and 281 (±50) μW/cm2 at 25◦C and 1.80 (±0.06) mA/cm2 and 381 (±33) μW/cm2 at 37◦C, respectively. Enzymatic efficiency of this glucose/O2 enzymatic fuel cell is among the highest reported for a glucose/O2 enzymatic fuel cell

Acute black tea consumption improves cutaneous vascular function in healthy middle-aged humans.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary flavonoids, such as those present in black tea, are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), possibly through improving nitric oxide (NO) mediated vascular function. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acute black tea ingestion on cutaneous microvascular function. METHODS: Twenty healthy participants (58 ± 5 y, 9 men) attended two experimental trials (tea, placebo), 7-days apart in a randomised, controlled, double-blind, cross-over design. Participants ingested a single dose of 200 ml black tea or placebo, followed by assessment of forearm cutaneous perfusion using laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) using three distinct heating protocols, enabling us to distinguish between axon- and endothelium-dependent vasodilation: 1. rapid 42°C, 2. rapid 39°C and 3. gradual 42°C. On the contralateral arm, full-field laser perfusion imaging (FLPI) was used to assess forearm perfusion during gradual 42°C. Data were presented as cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; flux/mean arterial pressure, MAP) and CVC expressed as a percentage of maximal CVC (%CVCmax). RESULTS: Rapid local heating to 39°C or 42°C demonstrated no effect of tea for flux, CVC or %CVCmax (all P > 0.05). Gradual local heating to 42 °C, however, produced a higher skin blood flow following black tea ingestion for absolute CVC (P = 0.04) when measured by LDF, and higher absolute flux (P < 0.001) and CVC (P < 0.001) measured with FLPI. No effect of tea was found for %CVCmax when assessed by either LDF or FLPI. CONCLUSIONS: Acute tea ingestion enhanced cutaneous vascular responses to gradual local heating to 42 °C in healthy, middle-aged participants, possibly through a mechanism related to activation of endothelium-derived chemical mediators, such as NO. These improvements may contribute to the cardiovascular health benefits of regular tea ingestion

Integrating BDI agents with Agent-based simulation platforms

Agent-Based Models (ABMs) is increasingly being used for exploring and supporting decision making about social science scenarios involving modelling of human agents. However existing agent-based simulation platforms (e.g., SWARM, Repast) provide limited support for the simulation of more complex cognitive agents required by such scenarios. We present a framework that allows Belief-Desire Intention (BDI) cognitive agents to be embedded in an ABM system. Architecturally, this means that the "brains" of an agent can be modelled in the BDI system in the usual way, while the "body" exists in the ABM system. The architecture is exible in that the ABM can still have non-BDI agents in the simulation, and the BDI-side can have agents that do not have a physical counterpart (such as an organisation). The framework addresses a key integration challenge of coupling event-based BDI systems, with time-stepped ABM systems. Our framework is modular and supports integration off-the-shelf BDI systems with off-the-shelf ABM systems. The framework is Open Source, and all integrations and applications are available for use by the modelling community

Impact of flavonoid-rich black tea and beetroot juice on postprandial peripheral vascular resistance and glucose homeostasis in obese, insulin-resistant men: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-stimulated muscle blood flow facilitates plasma glucose disposal after a meal, a mechanism that is impaired in obese, insulin-resistant volunteers. Nitrate- or flavonoid-rich products, through their proposed effects on nitric oxide, may improve postprandial blood flow and, subsequently, glucose disposal. To investigate whether a single dose of nitrate-rich beetroot juice or flavonoid-rich black tea lowers postprandial muscle vascular resistance in obese volunteers and alters postprandial glucose or insulin concentrations. METHOD: In a randomised, controlled, cross-over study, 16 obese, insulin-resistant males consumed 75 g glucose, which was combined with 100 ml black tea, beetroot juice or control (water). Peripheral vascular resistance (VR), calculated as mean arterial pressure divided by blood flow, was assessed in the arm and leg conduit arteries, resistance arteries and muscle microcirculation across 3 h (every 30-min) after the oral glucose load. RESULTS: During control, we found no postprandial response in VR in conduit, resistance and microvessels (all P > 0.05). Black tea decreased VR compared to control in conduit, resistance and microvessels (all P < 0.05). Beetroot juice decreased postprandial VR in resistance vessels, but not in conduit artery and microvessels. Although postprandial glucose response was similar after all interventions, postprandial insulin response was attenuated by ~29 % after tea (P < 0.0005), but not beetroot juice. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of black tea decreased peripheral VR across upper and lower limbs after a glucose load which was accompanied by a lower insulin response. Future studies in insulin-resistant subjects are warranted to confirm the observed effects and to explore whether long-term regular tea consumption affects glucose homeostasis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 30(th) November 2012 (NCT01746329)

Development of climate profiles for reclamation

April 1981.Includes bibliographical references (page 58)

Climate profile for the McCallum Emria study area

March 1981.Includes bibliographical references (page 64)

Predictors of mortality in connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a cohort study

Extent: 9p.Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major cause of mortality in connective tissue disease (CTD). We sought to quantify survival and determine factors predictive of mortality in a cohort of patients with CTD-associated PAH (CTD-PAH) in the current era of advanced PAH therapy. Methods: Patients with right heart catheter proven CTD-PAH were recruited from six specialised PAH treatment centres across Australia and followed prospectively. Using survival methods including Cox proportional hazards regression, we modelled for all-cause mortality. Independent variables included demographic, clinical and hemodynamic data. Results: Among 117 patients (104 (94.9%) with systemic sclerosis), during 2.6 ± 1.8 (mean ± SD) years of follow-up from PAH diagnosis, there were 32 (27.4%) deaths. One-, two- and three-year survivals were 94%, 89% and 73%, respectively. In multiple regression analysis, higher mean right atrial pressure (mRAP) at diagnosis (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.24, P = 0.007), lower baseline six-minute walk distance (HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.97, P = 0.04), higher baseline World Health Organization functional class (HR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.25 to 9.36, P = 0.04) and presence of a pericardial effusion (HR = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.07 to 10.68, P = 0.04) were predictive of mortality. Warfarin (HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.78, P = 0.02) and combination PAH therapy (HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.83, P = 0.03) were protective. Conclusions: In this cohort of CTD-PAH patients, three-year survival was 73%. Independent therapeutic predictors of survival included warfarin and combination PAH therapy. Our findings suggest that anticoagulation and combination PAH therapy may improve survival in CTD-PAH. This observation merits further evaluation in randomised controlled trials.Gene-Siew Ngian, Wendy Stevens, David Prior, Eli Gabbay, Janet Roddy, Ai Tran, Robert Minson, Catherine Hill, Ken Chow, Joanne Sahhar, Susanna Proudman and Mandana Nikpou

Sentencing Women in the Transformed Probation Landscape

In 2013 the government promised that new reforms would ‘deliver better outcomes for women offenders’ (Ministry of Justice, 2013b, p.16). This was a bold statement and a laudable ambition. However, this strategy – called and aimed at Transforming Rehabilitation - will only be successful if sentencers are aware of (and support) the options that new providers put in place to achieve its goals. This chapter considers current levels of awareness of the new reforms among magistrates. Highlighting reservations about the suitability of community provision, and a lack of awareness about developments under Transforming Rehabilitation, it emphasises the lack of information that magistrates receive on this issue. Supplementing the findings of a recent research project conducted with 168 magistrates (see Birkett, 2016), this chapter provides a post-Transforming Rehabilitation ‘update’, drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews and a survey of 86 magistrates sitting across England and Wales. As such, it places particular focus on developments that followed the implementation of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014, the legislative measures underpinning the government’s flagship Transforming Rehabilitation policy agenda