Affordable Housing Need in Scotland, Final Report - September 2015

First paragraph: This report presents the findings from research conducted in 2015 which sought to estimate the need for affordable housing across Scotland as a whole. The research was commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). The study updates a previous, similar exercise conducted almost a decade ago for the Scottish Government (Bramley et al., 2006)

Structure-reactivity Studies of Simple 4-hydroxyprolinamide Organocatalysts in the Asymmetric Michael Addition Reaction of Aldehydes to Nitroolefins

A series of simple 4-hydroxyprolinamides was synthesised and they were found to act as organocatalysts for the asymmetric conjugate addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins in excellent yields (98%), with complete diastereoselectivity (99:1, syn:anti) and enantioselectivity (98% e.e. for syn). Furthermore, the use of low catalyst loadings (5 mol%) and a low aldehyde molar excess (1.5 equivalents) were achieved

A Massive Protostar Forming by Ordered Collapse of a Dense, Massive Core

We present 30 and 40 micron imaging of the massive protostar G35.20-0.74 with SOFIA-FORCAST. The high surface density of the natal core around the protostar leads to high extinction, even at these relatively long wavelengths, causing the observed flux to be dominated by that emerging from the near-facing outflow cavity. However, emission from the far-facing cavity is still clearly detected. We combine these results with fluxes from the near-infrared to mm to construct a spectral energy distribution (SED). For isotropic emission the bolometric luminosity would be 3.3x10^4 Lsun. We perform radiative transfer modeling of a protostar forming by ordered, symmetric collapse from a massive core bounded by a clump with high mass surface density, Sigma_cl. To fit the SED requires protostellar masses ~20-34 Msun depending on the outflow cavity opening angle (35 - 50 degrees), and Sigma_cl ~ 0.4-1 g cm-2. After accounting for the foreground extinction and the flashlight effect, the true bolometric luminosity is ~ (0.7-2.2)x10^5 Lsun. One of these models also has excellent agreement with the observed intensity profiles along the outflow axis at 10, 18, 31 and 37 microns. Overall our results support a model of massive star formation involving the relatively ordered, symmetric collapse of a massive, dense core and the launching bipolar outflows that clear low density cavities. Thus a unified model may apply for the formation of both low and high mass stars.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted to Ap

Barred-beach morphological control on infragravity motion

A conceptual analysis of the coupling between bars and infragravity waves is performed combining laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. Experiments are carried out in a wave flume with a barred profile. The Boussinesq fully-nonlinear model SERR1D is validated with the laboratory data and a sensitivity analysis is performed next to study the influence on the infragravity wave dynamics of bar amplitude and location, and swash zone slope. A novel technique of incident and reflected motions separation that conserves temporal characteristics is applied. We observe that changing bar characteristics induces substantial variations in trapped energy. Interestingly, a modification of swash zone slope has a large influence on the reflected component, controlling amplitude and phase time-lag, and consequently on the resonant pattern. Variations of trapped infragravity energy induced by changes of swash zone slope reach 25 %. These changes in infragravity pattern consequently affect short-wave dynamics by modifying the breakpoint location and the breaking intensity. Our conceptual investigation suggests the existence of a morphological feedback through the action of evolving morphology on infragravity structures which modulates the action of short-waves on the morphology itself

A Minimum Column Density of 1 g cm^-2 for Massive Star Formation

Massive stars are very rare, but their extreme luminosities make them both the only type of young star we can observe in distant galaxies and the dominant energy sources in the universe today. They form rarely because efficient radiative cooling keeps most star-forming gas clouds close to isothermal as they collapse, and this favors fragmentation into stars <~1 Msun. Heating of a cloud by accreting low-mass stars within it can prevent fragmentation and allow formation of massive stars, but what properties a cloud must have to form massive stars, and thus where massive stars form in a galaxy, has not yet been determined. Here we show that only clouds with column densities >~ 1 g cm^-2 can avoid fragmentation and form massive stars. This threshold, and the environmental variation of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) that it implies, naturally explain the characteristic column densities of massive star clusters and the difference between the radial profiles of Halpha and UV emission in galactic disks. The existence of a threshold also implies that there should be detectable variations in the IMF with environment within the Galaxy and in the characteristic column densities of massive star clusters between galaxies, and that star formation rates in some galactic environments may have been systematically underestimated.Comment: Accepted for publication in Nature; Nature manuscript style; main text: 14 pages, 3 figures; supplementary text: 8 pages, 1 figur

Radioactive 26Al and massive stars in the Galaxy

Gamma-rays from radioactive 26Al (half life ~7.2 10^5 yr) provide a 'snapshot' view of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. The Galaxy is relatively transparent to such gamma-rays, and emission has been found concentrated along the plane of the Galaxy. This led to the conclusion1 that massive stars throughout the Galaxy dominate the production of 26Al. On the other hand, meteoritic data show locally-produced 26Al, perhaps from spallation reactions in the protosolar disk. Furthermore, prominent gamma-ray emission from the Cygnus region suggests that a substantial fraction of Galactic 26Al could originate in localized star-forming regions. Here we report high spectral resolution measurements of 26Al emission at 1808.65 keV, which demonstrate that the 26Al source regions corotate with the Galaxy, supporting its Galaxy-wide origin. We determine a present-day equilibrium mass of 2.8 (+/-0.8) M_sol of 26Al. We use this to estimate that the frequency of core collapse (i.e. type Ib/c and type II) supernovae to be 1.9(+/- 1.1) events per century.Comment: accepted for publication in Nature, 24 pages including Online Supplements, 11 figures, 1 tabl

Seafloor character and sedimentary processes in eastern Long Island Sound and western Block Island Sound

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geo-Marine Letters 26 (2006): 59-68, doi: 10.1007/s00367-006-0016-4.Multibeam bathymetric data and seismic-reflection profiles collected in eastern Long Island and western Block Island Sounds reveal previously unrecognized glacial features and modern bedforms. Glacial features include an ice-sculptured bedrock surface, a newly identified recessional moraine, exposed glaciolacustrine sediments, and remnants of stagnant-ice-contact deposits. Modern bedforms include fields of transverse sand waves, barchanoid waves, giant scour depressions, and pockmarks. Bedform asymmetry and scour around obstructions indicate that net sediment transport is westward across the northern par of the study area near Fishers Island and eastward across the southern par near Great Gull Island.This work was supported by the Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Lentiviral-Mediated Transgene Expression Can Potentiate Intestinal Mesenchymal-Epithelial Signaling

Mesenchymal-epithelial signaling is essential for the development of many organs and is often disrupted in disease. In this study, we demonstrate the use of lentiviral-mediated transgene delivery as an effective approach for ectopic transgene expression and an alternative to generation of transgenic animals. One benefit to this approach is that it can be used independently or in conjunction with established transgenic or knockout animals for studying modulation of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. To display the power of this approach, we explored ectopic expression of a Wnt ligand in the mouse intestinal mesenchyme and demonstrate its functional influence on the adjacent epithelium. Our findings highlight the efficient use of lentiviral-mediated transgene expression for modulating mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in vivo

Crop Updates 2008 - Weeds

This session covers twenty nine papers from different authors: 1. BOXER® GOLD, a new pre-emergent herbicide option for WA wheat and barley growers for the control of Annual Ryegrass and Toad Rush, Craig A. Ruchs, Syngenta Crop Protection Australia Pty Ltd 2. Efficacy of Boxer Gold in the control of annual ryegrass in wheat, Dr Abul Hashem, Dr Catherine Borger, Department of Agriculture and Food, Mr Ken McKee, Field Development Manager, Syngenta Crop Protection Australia Pty Ltd 3. Alternative herbicides to avoid trifluralin resistance, Catherine Borger and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 4. Exiting new herbicides for ryegrass control in wheat, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food 5. Herbicide options for resistant wild radish in wheat, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food 6. A near-complete control of wild radish with three new herbicide products, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. An investigation of diflufenican resistance mechanism/s in wild radish, Meagan Pearce, Dr Michael Walsh and Prof. Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of WA 8. Synergistic effects of Group C and GroupF herbicides on resistant and susceptible wild radish populations, Kent Stone, Dr Michael Walsh and Prof. Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of WA 9. Precept® for the management of wild radish resistant to PDS inhibiting herbicides, Mike Clarke and Andrew Loorham, Bayer Cropscience Pty Ltd, Dr Michael Walsh, WAHRI, University of Western Australia 10. Evolution of glyphosate resistance in annual ryegrass: Effects of cutting rates, Roberto Busi and Stephen B. Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia 11. Metribuzin and other herbicides pre-sowing of lupins, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Crop topping lupins with glufosinate gives poor control of ryegrass seed set, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Brome grass has developed multiple resistance to Group B and C herbicides, Dr Abul Hashem, Dr Catherine Borger and Dr Shahab Pathan, Department of Agriculture and Food 14. Effect of sowing methods, Logran® and Metribuzin on weeds and wheat grain yield, Alexandra Douglas and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 15. Effect of alternative Group K herbicides on control of on-row annual ryegrass in wide row lupins, Dr Abul Hashem1, Ray Fulwood2 and Chris Roberts1, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Farmer, Meckering, Western Australia 16. Control and seed production of annual ryegrass in wide row lupins within the Western Australian wheatbelt, Abul Hashem1,6, Alex Douglas1,6, Shahab Pathan1, Glen Riethmuller1,6 and 1,6Sally Peltzer, Department of Agriculture and Food, 6CRC Australian Weed Management 17. Effective weed control in wide row lupins, Glen Riethmuller, Abul Hashem and Shahab Pathan, Department of Agriculture and Food, and CRC Australian Weed Management 18. Slender iceplant control, Lorinda Hunt1, John Borger1, Meir Altman1,4 and Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard1,4, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia1, University of Western Australia and Future Farm Industries CRC4 19. Chemical and non-chemical weed control – a European perspective, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture and Food 20. Mouldboard ploughing shows promise on sand, Peter Newman, Stephen Davies and Sally Peltzer, Department of Agriculture and Food 21. Weed seed head trimming, Glen Riethmuller and Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food 22. A survey of summer weed incidence and distribution across the WA wheatbelt, Pippa Michaela, Bill McLeodb, Catherine Borgerb and Alex Douglasb, aCurtin University of Technology, bDepartment of Agriculture and Food 23. Herbicide tolerance of field pea varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu and Mark Seymour, Department of Agriculture and Food 24. Herbicide tolerance of current/new wheat varieties, Dr Harmohinder Dhammu, Department of Agriculture and Food 25. Herbicide tolerance of new oat varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert and Chris Roberts, Department of Agriculture and Food 26. Herbicide tolerance of saltbush and bluebush, Lorinda Hunt1, John Borger1, Meir Altman1,4 and Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard1,4, Department of Agriculture and Food1, University of Western Australia and Future Farm Industries CRC4 27. A review of 2,4-D formulations and vapour drift, John H. Moore, Department of Agriculture and Food 28. Movement of 2,4-D butyl ester and the dose response of three formulations of 2,4-D on canola, John H. Moore, Department of Agriculture and Food 29. Pathways to registration – Improving pesticide research outcomes, Dr Rohan Rainbow, Manager Crop Protection, Grains Research and Development Corporatio

Burden of injury in childhood and adolescence in 8 European countries

Injury is the major cause of death and suffering among children and adolescents, but awareness of the problem and political commitment for preventive actions remain unacceptably low. We have assessed variation in the burden of injuries in childhood and adolescence in eight European countries. Hospital, emergency department, and mortality databases of injury patients aged 0-24 years were analyzed for Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and the United Kingdom (England, Wales). Years lost due to premature mortality (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were calculated. Differences in the burden of injury in childhood and adolescence are large, with a fourfold gap between the safest countries (Netherlands and UK) in western-Europe and the relatively unsafe countries (Latvia and Slovenia) in the east. Variation between countries is attributable to high variation in premature mortality (YLL varied from 14-58 per 1000 persons) and disability (YLD varied from 3-10 per 1000 persons). Highest burden is observed among males ages 15-24. If childhood and adolescence injuries are reduced to the level of current best injury prevention practices, 6 DALYs per 1000 child years can be avoided. Injuries in childhood and adolescence cause a high disability and mortality burden in Europe. In all developmental stages large inequalities between west and east are observed. Potential benefits up to almost 1 million healthy child years gained across Europe are possible, if proven ways for prevention are more widely implemented. Our children deserve action now