Using blubber explants to investigate adipose function in grey seals:glycolytic, lipolytic and gene expression responses to glucose and hydrocortisone

Adipose tissue is fundamental to energy balance, which underpins fitness and survival. Knowledge of adipose regulation in animals that undergo rapid fat deposition and mobilisation aids understanding of their energetic responses to rapid environmental change. Tissue explants can be used to investigate adipose regulation in wildlife species with large fat reserves, when opportunities for organismal experimental work are limited. We investigated glucose removal, lactate, glycerol and NEFA accumulation in media, and metabolic gene expression in blubber explants from wild grey seals. Glycolysis was higher in explants incubated in 25 mM glucose (HG) for 24 h compared to controls (C: 5.5 mM glucose). Adipose-derived lactate likely contributes to high endogenous glucose production in seals. Lipolysis was not stimulated by HG or high hydrocortisone (HC: 500 nM hydrocortisone) and was lower in heavier animals. HC caused NEFA accumulation in media to decrease by ~30% relative to C in females, indicative of increased lipogenesis. Lipolysis was higher in males than females in C and HG conditions. Lower relative abundance of 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 mRNA in HG explants suggests glucose involvement in blubber cortisol sensitivity. Our findings can help predict energy balance responses to stress and nutritional state in seals, and highlight the use of explants to study fat tissue function in wildlife

’We All Dream of a Team of Carraghers’: Comparing the semiotics of ‘local’ and Texan Liverpool fans’ talk

There are strong grounds upon which it can be argued that the English Premier League (EPL) holds global appeal. This article carries out a semiotic analysis on the role that Liverpool F.C.’s Bootle-born defender, Jamie Carragher holds amongst two spatially disparate supporter communities, one principally based in Liverpool and the other in Texas. Despite the historical influence and connection with locally born players, evolving European migration patterns and continental football philosophies have limited the progression of ‘Scouse’ players at Liverpool. Jamie Carragher is a contemporary exception, who has become a focal point for the ‘local’ supporters’ affections. His status has been propelled by his interpretation and implementation of the core working class values of the city and the club, displayed through his conduct off the pitch and his performances on it. Drawing from the perspectives of ‘local’ and Texas-based fans, this paper expands upon these issues, and examines Liverpool supporters’ evolving heroism of Jamie Carragher. A mixed-method qualitative approach was adopted, involving ethnographic techniques, participant observation, interview methods and podcast analysis

Equal Opportunities Policies and Practice at the Workplace: Secondary Analysis of WERS98

The European Union Employment and Race Directives have required amendments to be made to existing equality legislation in the UK and have required new legislation to tackle discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, religion and age in employment. This paper provides evidence on the scope of workplaces’ equal opportunities policies and practices prior to the introduction of such legislative amendments, and aims to shed further light on linkages between such policies/practices and patterns of job satisfaction and workplace well-being. The evidence presented here clearly suggests that there is scope for the extension of equal opportunities among workplaces in Britain, particularly in the areas covered by the Directives

Who calls the Tune at Work? The Impact of Trade Unions on Jobs and Pay

This report uses large-scale survey evidence to examine the effects of unions upon the employment levels of workplaces and upon the pay of their employees. Although some of the findings show that trade unions are associated with adverse outcomes, these effects are absent when employers jointly determine pay and employment matters with the unions

Urban Wind: Characterization of Useful Gust and Energy Capture

Small-scale wind turbine operations within the urban environment are exposed to high levels of gusts and turbulence compared to flows over less rough surfaces. There is therefore a need for such systems to not only cope with, but to thrive under such fluctuating flow conditions. This paper addresses the potential importance of gust tracking technologies within the urban environment via the analysis of the additional energy present in the gusty wind resource using high resolution measurements at two urban roof-top locations. Results demonstrate significant additional energy present in the gusty wind resource at high temporal resolution. This energy is usually under-represented by the use of mean wind speeds in quantifying the power in the wind over longer averaging times. The results support the promise of capturing a portion of this extra energy through gust tracking solutions. The sensitivity of this “additional” wind energy to averaging time interval is also explored, providing useful information for the design of gust tracking or dynamic control algorithms for small-scale turbines. Relationships between turbulence intensity and excess energy available are drawn. Thus, an analytical model is proposed which may prove useful in predicting the excess energy available across wide areas from, for example, boundary layer turbulence models

Vertical Veins: Digital Commons Reflection

The SOM High Rise Studio was a collaboration between 3rd year Architecture students and primarily 4th year Architectural Engineering students. The studio consisted of 20 weeks, with consistent check points marked by SOM partner reviews. The overall aim of the collaboratory nature of the studio was to expose each discipline to the decision-making process of the other to better facilitate understanding of the overall system and narrative of the high-rise tower. Each quarter had a distinct goal that was the focus of submittals and reviews. Winter Quarter was primarily focused on the form finding aspect of our design through means of precedent studies, physical modeling, and simplified studies on tall building behavior analyses. At the end of Winter Quarter, teams had the general structural system for their tower set and had begun looking at massing for wind mitigation and programming. Spring Quarter was more focused on specific components of the tower, though the exact components differed it can be generalized as performative envelope studies, structural connections and compatibility, tower behavior, and simplified member sizing for idealized wind and seismic conditions. At the end of Spring quarter, teams were expected to have a functioning performative envelope, both architecturally and structurally, details showing working connections, and a functioning computer model

Low Carbon Cities: Is Ambitious Action Affordable?

Research has begun to uncover the extent that greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to cities, as well as the scope for cities to contribute to emissions reduction. But assessments of the economics of urban climate mitigation are lacking, and are currently based on selective case studies or specific sectors. Further analysis is crucial to enable action at the urban level. Here we consider the investment needs associated with 11 clusters of low carbon measures that could be deployed across the world’s urban areas in a way that is consistent with a broader 2°C target. Economic assessment of these low carbon measures finds that they could be deployed around the world with investments of c$1 trillion per year between 2015 and 2050 (equivalent to 1.3$16.6 trillion USD in the period to 2050. However, discount rates, energy prices and rates of technological learning are key to the economic feasibility of climate action, with the NPV of these measures ranging from -$1.1 trillion USD to$65.2 trillion USD under different conditions

Producer Cities and Consumer Cities: Using Production- and Consumption-Based Carbon Accounts to Guide Climate Action in China, the UK, and the US

Meeting the commitments made in the Paris Agreement on climate change will require different approaches in different countries. However, a common feature in many contexts relates to the continued and sometimes increasing significance of the carbon footprints of urban centres. These footprints consider both production or territorial (i.e. Scope 1 and 2) emissions, and consumption or extra-territorial (i.e. Scope 3) emissions. Although a growing number of cities have adopted targets for their production-based emissions, very few have even started to analyse or address their consumption-based emissions. This presents a potential challenge for urban policymaking if consumption emissions rise while production emissions fall, and for climate mitigation more broadly if emissions are effectively migrating to areas without carbon reduction targets or capabilities. To explore these issues, in this paper we analyse and compare production- and consumption-based emissions accounts for urban centres in China, the UK and the US. Results show that per-capita income and population density are strong predictors of consumption-based emissions levels, and consumption-based emissions appear to diminish but not decouple with higher per-capita incomes. In addition, results show that per-capita income is a predictor of net emissions - or the difference between production- and consumption-based accounts - suggesting that continuing increases in per capita income levels may drive the ‘leakage’ of urban emissions. These findings highlight a risk in placing too much faith in city-level climate strategies focused only on production-based emissions, and stress the importance of new city-level initiatives that focus on consumption-based emissions, especially in cities that are shifting from producer to consumer city status