Insights from 20 years of temperature parallel measurements in Mauritius around the turn of the 20th century

There is considerable import in creating more complete, better understood holdings of early meteorological data. Such data permit an improved understanding of climate variability and long-term changes. Early records are particularly incomplete in the tropics, with implications for estimates of global and regional temperature. There is also a relatively low level of scientific understanding of how these early measurements were made and, as a result, of their homogeneity and comparability to more modern techniques and measurements. Herein we describe and analyse a newly rescued set of long-term, up to six-way parallel measurements undertaken over 1884–1903 in Mauritius, an island situated in the southern Indian Ocean. Data include (i) measurements from a well-ventilated room, (ii) a shaded thermograph, (iii) instruments housed in a manner broadly equivalent to a modern Stevenson screen, (iv) a set of measurements by a hygrometer mounted in a Stevenson screen, and for a much shorter period (v) two additional Stevenson screen configurations. All measurements were undertaken within an ∼ 80 m radius of each other. To our knowledge this is the first such multidecadal multi-instrument assessment of meteorological instrument transition impacts ever undertaken, providing potentially unique insights. The intercomparison also considers the impact of different ways of deriving daily and monthly averages. The long-term comparison is sufficient to robustly characterize systematic offsets between all the instruments and seasonally varying impacts. Differences between all techniques range from tenths of a degree Celsius to more than 1 ∘C and are considerably larger for maximum and minimum temperatures than for means or averages. Systematic differences of several tenths of a degree Celsius also exist for the different ways of deriving average and mean temperatures. All differences, except two average temperature series pairs, are significant at the 0.01 level using a paired t test. Given that all thermometers were regularly calibrated against a primary Kew standard thermometer maintained by the observatory, this analysis highlights significant impacts of instrument exposure, housing, siting, and measurement practices in early meteorological records. These results reaffirm the importance of thoroughly assessing the homogeneity of early meteorological records

Insights from 20 years of temperature parallel measurements in Mauritius around the turn of the 20th century

There is considerable import in creating more complete, better understood holdings of early meteorolog- ical data. Such data permit an improved understanding of climate variability and long-term changes. Early records are particularly incomplete in the tropics, with implications for estimates of global and regional temperature. There is also a relatively low level of scientific understanding of how these early measurements were made and, as a result, of their ho- mogeneity and comparability to more modern techniques and measurements. Herein we describe and analyse a newly rescued set of long-term, up to six-way parallel measure- ments undertaken over 1884–1903 in Mauritius, an island situated in the southern Indian Ocean. Data include (i) mea- surements from a well-ventilated room, (ii) a shaded thermo- graph, (iii) instruments housed in a manner broadly equiv- alent to a modern Stevenson screen, (iv) a set of measure- ments by a hygrometer mounted in a Stevenson screen, and for a much shorter period (v) two additional Stevenson screen configurations. All measurements were undertaken within an ∼ 80 m radius of each other. To our knowledge this is the first such multidecadal multi-instrument assessment of meteoro- logical instrument transition impacts ever undertaken, pro- viding potentially unique insights. The intercomparison also considers the impact of different ways of deriving daily and monthly averages. The long-term comparison is sufficient to robustly characterize systematic offsets between all the in- struments and seasonally varying impacts. Differences be- tween all techniques range from tenths of a degree Celsius to more than 1 ◦C and are considerably larger for maximum and minimum temperatures than for means or averages. System- atic differences of several tenths of a degree Celsius also exist for the different ways of deriving average and mean tempera- tures. All differences, except two average temperature series pairs, are significant at the 0.01 level using a paired t test. Given that all thermometers were regularly calibrated against a primary Kew standard thermometer maintained by the ob- servatory, this analysis highlights significant impacts of in- strument exposure, housing, siting, and measurement prac- tices in early meteorological records. These results reaffirm the importance of thoroughly assessing the homogeneity of early meteorological records

Contralateral Selectivity of Upper-Limb Motor Pools via Targeted Stimulation of the Cervical Spinal Cord

Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) at the cervical level may facilitate improved upper-limb function in those with incomplete tetraplegia. While clinical trials are ongoing, there is still much debate regarding the transmission pathway as well as appropriate stimulation parameters. This study aimed to explore the extent to which cervical tSCS can induce mono-synaptic reflexes in discrete upper-limb motor pools and examine the effects of altering stimulus location and intensity. Methods: Fourteen participants with intact nervous systems completed two laboratory visits, during which posterior root-muscle reflexes (PRMRs) were evoked via a 3 × 3 cathode matrix applied over the cervical spine. An incremental recruitment curve at the C7 vertebral level was initially performed to attain resting motor threshold (RMT) in each muscle. Paired pulses (1 ms square monophasic with inter-pulse interval of 50 ms) were subsequently delivered at a frequency of 0.25 Hz at two intensities (RMT and RMT + 20%) across all nine cathode positions. Evoked responses to the 1st (PRMR1) and 2nd (PRMR2) stimuli were recorded in four upper-limb muscles. Results: A significant effect of the spinal level was observed in all muscles for PRMR1, with greater responses being recorded caudally. Contralateral stimulation significantly increased PRMR1 in Biceps Brachii (p < 0.05, F = 4.9, η2 = 0.29), Flexor Carpi Radialis (p < 0.05, F = 4.9, η2 = 0.28) and Abductor Pollicis Brevis (p < 0.01, F = 8.9, η2 = 0.89). Post-activation depression (PAD) was also significantly increased with contralateral stimulation in Biceps Brachii (p = 0.001, F = 9.3, η2 = 0.44), Triceps Brachii (p < 0.05, F = 5.4, η2 = 0.31) and Flexor Carpi Radialis (p < 0.001, F = 17.4, η2 = 0.59). Conclusions: A level of unilateral motor pool selectivity may be attained by altering stimulus intensity and location during cervical tSCS. Optimising these parameters may improve the efficacy of this neuromodulation method in clinical cohorts

Insights from 20 years of temperature parallel measurements in Mauritius around the turn of the 20th century

There is considerable import in creating more complete, better understood holdings of early meteorolog- ical data. Such data permit an improved understanding of climate variability and long-term changes. Early records are particularly incomplete in the tropics, with implications for estimates of global and regional temperature. There is also a relatively low level of scientific understanding of how these early measurements were made and, as a result, of their ho- mogeneity and comparability to more modern techniques and measurements. Herein we describe and analyse a newly rescued set of long-term, up to six-way parallel measure- ments undertaken over 1884–1903 in Mauritius, an island situated in the southern Indian Ocean. Data include (i) mea- surements from a well-ventilated room, (ii) a shaded thermo- graph, (iii) instruments housed in a manner broadly equiv- alent to a modern Stevenson screen, (iv) a set of measure- ments by a hygrometer mounted in a Stevenson screen, and for a much shorter period (v) two additional Stevenson screen configurations. All measurements were undertaken within an ∼ 80 m radius of each other. To our knowledge this is the first such multidecadal multi-instrument assessment of meteoro- logical instrument transition impacts ever undertaken, pro- viding potentially unique insights. The intercomparison also considers the impact of different ways of deriving daily and monthly averages. The long-term comparison is sufficient to robustly characterize systematic offsets between all the in- struments and seasonally varying impacts. Differences be- tween all techniques range from tenths of a degree Celsius to more than 1 ◦C and are considerably larger for maximum and minimum temperatures than for means or averages. System- atic differences of several tenths of a degree Celsius also exist for the different ways of deriving average and mean tempera- tures. All differences, except two average temperature series pairs, are significant at the 0.01 level using a paired t test. Given that all thermometers were regularly calibrated against a primary Kew standard thermometer maintained by the ob- servatory, this analysis highlights significant impacts of in- strument exposure, housing, siting, and measurement prac- tices in early meteorological records. These results reaffirm the importance of thoroughly assessing the homogeneity of early meteorological records

Insights from 20 years of temperature parallel measurements in Mauritius around the turn of the 20th century

There is considerable import in creating more complete, better understood holdings of early meteorolog- ical data. Such data permit an improved understanding of climate variability and long-term changes. Early records are particularly incomplete in the tropics, with implications for estimates of global and regional temperature. There is also a relatively low level of scientific understanding of how these early measurements were made and, as a result, of their ho- mogeneity and comparability to more modern techniques and measurements. Herein we describe and analyse a newly rescued set of long-term, up to six-way parallel measure- ments undertaken over 1884–1903 in Mauritius, an island situated in the southern Indian Ocean. Data include (i) mea- surements from a well-ventilated room, (ii) a shaded thermo- graph, (iii) instruments housed in a manner broadly equiv- alent to a modern Stevenson screen, (iv) a set of measure- ments by a hygrometer mounted in a Stevenson screen, and for a much shorter period (v) two additional Stevenson screen configurations. All measurements were undertaken within an ∼ 80 m radius of each other. To our knowledge this is the first such multidecadal multi-instrument assessment of meteoro- logical instrument transition impacts ever undertaken, pro- viding potentially unique insights. The intercomparison also considers the impact of different ways of deriving daily and monthly averages. The long-term comparison is sufficient to robustly characterize systematic offsets between all the in- struments and seasonally varying impacts. Differences be- tween all techniques range from tenths of a degree Celsius to more than 1 ◦C and are considerably larger for maximum and minimum temperatures than for means or averages. System- atic differences of several tenths of a degree Celsius also exist for the different ways of deriving average and mean tempera- tures. All differences, except two average temperature series pairs, are significant at the 0.01 level using a paired t test. Given that all thermometers were regularly calibrated against a primary Kew standard thermometer maintained by the ob- servatory, this analysis highlights significant impacts of in- strument exposure, housing, siting, and measurement prac- tices in early meteorological records. These results reaffirm the importance of thoroughly assessing the homogeneity of early meteorological records

Bio-inspired microneedle design for efficient drug/vaccine coating

Biomimetics is the interdisciplinary scientific field focused on the study and imitation of biological systems, with the aim of solving complex technological problems. In this paper, we present a new bio-inspired design for microneedles (MNs) and MN arrays, intended for rapidly coating the MNs with drug/vaccine. The biomimetic approach consists in ornamenting the lateral sides of pyramidal MNs with structures inspired by the external scent efferent systems of some European true bugs, which facilitate a directional liquid transport. To realize these MNs, two-photon polymerization (TPP) technique was used. Liquid coating capabilities of structured and non-structured MNs were compared. Moreover, both in-vivo and ex-vivo skin tests were performed to prove that MNs pierce the skin. We show that the arrays of MNs can be accurately replicated using a micro-moulding technique. We believe this design will be beneficial for the process of drug/vaccine loading onto the needles surfaces, by making it more efficient and by reducing the drug/vaccine wastage during MN coating process.(VLID)4934381Version of recor