Implications of the nature and quality of dredged material and its beneficial placement in the coastal environment

Dredged sediment is increasingly being used in mudflat recharge schemes and in habitat restoration/recreation to counter the effect of erosion and sea-level rise. For this reason it is necessary to determine the response of indigenous mudflat fauna to anthropogenic sediment deposition and so in 2001 a manipulative experimental laboratory study was used to assess the biological response to the alternative beneficial use of uncontaminated maintenance dredged material. The experiment assessed the response of common temperate macro-benthic organisms to the addition of increasing amounts of simulated dredged material on to the surface of mudflat cores. Between 0 cm and 20 cm of defaunated sediment was added as both high and low frequency treatments and the vertical migration of species per 1 cm or 3 cm sediment increment was determined. The experiment showed that the bivalve Macoma balthica (Linnaeus) was able to vertically migrate into the surface layers of low or high depositions of sediment treatments but the Spionid polychaete Pygospio elegans (Claparede) and nematodes were less able to reach the surface layers with increased sediment deposition. The oligochaete Tubificoides benedii (Udekem) ability to vertically migrating into larger low frequency depositions of fine-grained sediment treatment placements was less when compared to coarser sand treatments. Hence the study showed that specific errant macro-zoobenthic species vertically migrated through increasing depths of sediment overburden.This concept was investigated further in the winter of 2001 as manipulative experimental field studies at the Skeffiing mudflats along the Humber Estuary and included an investigation to assess the biological response to increased depositions of simulated dredged material at the high-shore area. The main focus of these studies was to understand the relationship between the amounts of fine-grained simulated dredged material deposition and macro-faunal re-colonization through vertical and lateral migration. Defaunated sediment treatments were added as single low frequency amounts of 27 cm and 50 cm and the ability of macro-invertebrate species to migrate to a natural position within the vertical profile of the manipulated sediment was assessed. The re-colonization of defaunated fine-grained sediment via the below surface horizontal migration of macro-fauna occurred when 27 cm of sediment was deposited and the main colonizers were M balthica, juvenile Tellinacea and T. benedii. The macro-faunal re-colonization of a 50 cm deposition of defaunated fine-grained material occurred within 6 weeks via vertical migration. The main vertical migration colonizers were M balthica, juvenile Tellinacea and T. benedii. The deposition of a single large amount of fine-grained sediment had a detrimental affect on macro-faunal nematode recolonization.Further experimental investigations concerning the impact of burial following the high-frequency depositions of simulated fine-grained dredged material on a temperate intertidal mudflat community during the spring-summer period were carried out during 2002 and 2003. Additionally, the logistics of dredged material deposition at different tidal heights was investigated. This was achieved by examining the responses of key mudflat macro-fauna to burial by manipulated water content of fine-grained sediment treatments deposited at the upper-, high- and mid-shore areas of an estuarine intertidal mudflat and determining the macro-faunal re-colonization potential via settlement from the water column. Tubificoides benedii demonstrated a high ability to colonize an increased sediment water content treatment throughout the experiment when deposited at the high- and mid-shore areas but colonized the upper-shore sediment treatment from the middle to end period of the experiment. The polychaete Hediste diversicolor (O.F. Muller), in particular the juvenile stage demonstrated a good ability to colonize the upper-shore fine-grained sediment treatment. The high-shore early treatment colonizers included T. benedii and nematodes, other species colonized the treatment microcosms from July onwards; T. benedii, H. diversicolor, the Spionid polychaete Streblospio shrubsolii (Buchanan) and the gastropod Hydrobia ulvae (pennant) and M balthica throughout the experiment. At the mid-shore the early colonizers included T. benedii, M balthica, P. elegans and S. shrubsolii. The colonization ability of M balthica, juvenile Tellinacea and H. ulvae were negatively correlated to an increase in sediment water content especially when deposited at the high-shore. Tubificoides benendii was the only species to show a sediment-associated pattern at the high-shore and was positively correlated to the sediment water content of the treatments. When simulated fine-grained dredged material was deposited as small multiple amounts over time, the mudflat height was slowly recharged and allowed to build up, this allowed the gradual macro-faunal re-colonization of the recharge material over time. In general, the deposition of manipulated water content fine-grained sediment treatments did not inhibit macro-faunal recovery. This information may be used during the decision making process upon the feasibility of the alternative beneficial uses of dredged material such as when determining the type of dredged material used during a sediment recharge scheme or during simulated dredged material deposition studies

A Philadelphia Story: Building Civic Capacity for School Reform in a Privatizing System

Following the 2001 state takeover of the School District of Philadelphia, a new governance structure was established and an ambitious set of reforms went into effect, generating renewed public confidence in the district. Despite this, maintaining reform momentum continues to be difficult in Philadelphia. This can be traced to on-going challenges to civic capacity around education. Defined by Stone et al (2001), civic capacity involves collaboration and mobilization of the city's civic and community sectors to pursue the collective good of educational improvement. Using interviews conducted with over 65 local civic actors and district administrators, and case studies of local organizations involved with education, the authors examine civic capacity in the context of Philadelphia. The authors find that while many individuals and organizations are actively involved with the schools, there are several factors that present unique challenges to the development of civic capacity in Philadelphia. Despite these challenges, the authors conclude that there are many reasons to be optimistic and offer several recommendations for generating civic capacity -- the kind that creates and sustains genuine educational change

Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia among adults living in nursing homes

Objectives: Sarcopenia is a progressive loss of skeletal muscle and muscle function, with significant healthand disability consequences for older adults. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors ofsarcopenia among older residential aged care adults using the European Working Group on Sarcopeniain Older People (EWGSOP) criteria.Study design: A cross-sectional study design that assessed older people (n = 102, mean age 84.5 ± 8.2 years)residing in 11 long-term nursing homes in Australia.Main outcome measurements: Sarcopenia was diagnosed from assessments of skeletal mass index bybioelectrical impedance analysis, muscle strength by handheld dynamometer, and physical performanceby the 2.4 m habitual walking speed test. Secondary variables where collected to inform a risk factoranalysis.Results: Forty one (40.2%) participants were diagnosed as sarcopenic, 38 (95%) of whom were categorizedas having severe sarcopenia. Univariate logistic regression found that body mass index (BMI) (Oddsratio (OR) = 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78–0.94), low physical performance (OR = 0.83; 95% CI0.69–1.00), nutritional status (OR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.05–0.68) and sitting time (OR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.00–1.39)were predictive of sarcopenia. With multivariate logistic regression, only low BMI (OR = 0.80; 95% CI0.65–0.97) remained predictive.Conclusions: The prevalence of sarcopenia among older residential aged care adults is very high. Inaddition, low BMI is a predictive of sarcopenia

Spatial-stochastic modelling of synthetic gene regulatory networks

Funding: EPSRC Grant No. EP/N014642/1 (EPSRC Centre for Multiscale Soft Tissue Mechanics - With Application to Heart & Cancer) (MAJC,CKM).Transcription factors are important molecules which control the levels of mRNA and proteins within cells by modulating the process of transcription (the mechanism by which mRNA is produced within cells) and hence translation (the mechanism by which proteins are produced within cells). Transcription factors are part of a wider family of molecular interaction networks known as gene regulatory networks (GRNs) which play an important role in key cellular processes such as cell division and apoptosis (e.g. the p53-Mdm2, NFκB pathways). Transcription factors exert control over molecular levels through feedback mechanisms, with proteins binding to gene sites in the nucleus and either up-regulating or down-regulating production of mRNA. In many GRNs, there is a negative feedback in the network and the transcription rate is reduced. Typically, this leads to the mRNA and protein levels oscillating over time and also spatially between the nucleus and cytoplasm. When experimental data for such systems is analysed, it is observed to be noisy and in many cases the actual numbers of molecules involved are quite low. In order to model such systems accurately and connect with the data in a quantitative way, it is therefore necessary to adopt a stochastic approach as well as take into account the spatial aspect of the problem. In this paper, we extend previous work in the area by formulating and analysing stochastic spatio-temporal models of synthetic GRNs e.g. repressilators and activator-repressor systems.PostprintPeer reviewe

Hopelessness the ‘active ingredient’? : associations of hopelessness and depressive symptoms with Interleukin-6.

Objective: Previous research has revealed a relationship of depressive symptoms and hopelessness with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which are associated with elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6). The objective of this study was to explore whether depressive symptoms and hopelessness are independent predictors of IL-6 levels. Method: Hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and IL-6 were measured in 45 Swedish adults (26 women and 19 men; age range: 31-65 years). Two separated linear regressions were conducted with hopelessness and depressive symptoms serving as individual predictors of IL-6. Another regression analysis examined whether the two predictors predict IL-6 when controlling for each other. The regression coefficients of the models with one predictor and with both predictors were compared. Results: As predicted, after adjusting for age, BMI, illness, smoking, and gender, more depressive symptoms and more hopelessness predicted higher IL-6 levels in independent regressions. When controlling for each other, hopelessness, but not depressive symptoms, predicted IL-6 levels. Finally, when controlling for hopelessness, the regression between depressive symptoms and IL-6 level was significantly reduced; however, there was no significant change in the regression between hopelessness and IL-6 level when controlling for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Thus, these results suggest that depressive symptoms and hopelessness are not independent predictors of IL-6 levels. Future research should explore the interplay of hopelessness and depressive symptoms on other risk factors of CVDs

Waveform Library for Chinch Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Blissidae): Characterization of Electrical Penetration Graph Waveforms at Multiple Input Impedances

Electrical penetration graph (EPG) monitoring has been used extensively to elucidate mechanisms of resistance in plants to insect herbivores with piercing-sucking mouthparts. Characterization of waveforms produced by insects during stylet probing is essential to the application of this technology. In the studies described herein, a four-channel Backus and Bennett AC-DC monitor was used to characterize EPG waveforms produced by adults of two economically important chinch bug species: southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, feeding on St. Augustinegrass, and western chinch bug, Blissus occiduus Barber, feeding on buffalograss. This is only the third time a heteropterans species has been recorded by using EPG; it is also the first recording of adult heteropterans, and the first of Blissidae. Probing of chinch bugs was recorded with either AC or DC applied voltage, no applied voltage, or voltage switched between AC and DC mid-recording, at input impedances ranging from 106 to 1010Ω, plus 1013 Ω, to develop a waveform library. Waveforms exhibited by western and southern chinch bugs were similar, and both showed long periods of putative pathway and ingestion phases (typical of salivary sheath feeders) interspersed with shorter phases, termed transitional J wave and interruption. The J wave is suspected to be an X wave, that is, in EPG parlance, a stereotypical transition waveform that marks contact with a preferred ingestion tissue. The flexibility of using multiple input impedances with the AC-DC monitor was valuable for determining the electrical origin (resistance vs. electromotive force components) of the chinch bug waveforms. It was concluded that an input impedance of 107Ω, with either DC or AC applied voltage, is optimal to detect all resistance- and electromotive force–component waveforms produced during chinch bug probing. Knowledge of electrical origins suggested hypothesized biological meanings of the waveforms, before time-intensive future correlation experiments by using histology, microscopy, and other techniques

Different Observational Methods and the Detection of Seasonal and Atlantic Influence Upon Phytoplankton Communities in the Western Barents Sea

Phytoplankton community composition, and its dependency on environmental variation, are key to understanding marine primary production, processes of trophic transfer and the role of marine phytoplankton in global biogeochemical cycles. Understanding changes in phytoplankton community composition on Arctic shelves is important, because these productive environments are experiencing rapid change. Many different methods have been employed by researchers to quantify phytoplankton community composition. Previous studies have demonstrated that the way in which community composition is quantified can influence the interpretation of environmental dependencies. Researchers must consider both the suitability of the data they collect for monitoring marine ecosystems, as well as the research effort required to collect representative datasets. We therefore seek to understand how the representation of phytoplankton community structure in the western Barents Sea, a rapidly changing Arctic shelf sea, influences the interpretation of environmental dependencies. We compare datasets of cell counts, phytoplankton pigments and bio-optics (absorption spectra), relating them to a suite of environmental conditions with multivariate exploratory analyses. We show that, while cell counts reveal the greatest insight into environmental dependencies, pigment and absorption spectral datasets still provide useful information about seasonal succession and the influence of Atlantic water masses– two key subjects of great research interest in this region. As pigments and optical properties influence remotely-sensed ocean-colour, these findings hold implications for remote detection of phytoplankton community composition

Early surgery versus initial conservative treatment in patients with traumatic intracerebral haemorrhage [STITCH(Trauma)] : the first randomized trial

Acknowledgements This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 07/37/16). The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health.Peer reviewedPublisher PD