Wake Flows in Coastal Oceans: An Experimental Study of Topographic Effects

We consider the effects of coastal topography on the wake of an idealised headland model in a laboratory flume. Under a range of Reynolds numbers relevant to coastal oceans, we find that coherent eddies interact strongly with the headland shear layer and wake, affecting the width of the shear layer and the length of the wake. A preliminary investigation of turbulence statistics indicates that topography upstream of a headland can lead to a wider shear layer, a headland wake that extends further downstream, and enhanced horizontal diffusion out of the wake relative to the case with unperturbed oncoming flow

Language and geographical location influence the incidence of chronic cough in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

French speakers have a 4% lower incidence of chronic cough than English speakers in the CLSA, but English speakers from Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia also have a lower risk of developing chronic cough https://bit.ly/3qAd3M

hSSB1 phosphorylation is dynamically regulated by DNA-PK and PPP-family protein phosphatases

This work was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council project grant [1066550], an Australian Research Council project grant [DP 120103099] and by a Queensland Health Senior Clinical Research Fellowship awarded to K.J.O. This work was also supported by the Wellcome Trust [094476/Z/10/Z], which funded the purchase of the TripleTOF 5600 mass spectrometer at the BSRC Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, University of St Andrews. NWA was supported by a scholarship awarded by Cancer Council Queensland. E.B. is supported by an Advance Queensland Research Fellowship.The maintenance of genomic stability is essential for cellular viability and the prevention of diseases such as cancer. Human single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (hSSB1) is a protein with roles in the stabilisation and restart of stalled DNA replication forks, as well as in the repair of oxidative DNA lesions and double-strand DNA breaks. In the latter process, phosphorylation of threonine 117 by the ATM kinase is required for hSSB1 stability and efficient DNA repair. The regulation of hSSB1 in other DNA repair pathways has however remained unclear. Here we report that hSSB1 is also directly phosphorylated by DNA-PK at serine residue 134. While this modification is largely suppressed in undamaged cells by PPP-family protein phosphatases, S134 phosphorylation is enhanced following the disruption of replication forks and promotes cellular survival. Together, these data thereby represent a novel mechanism for hSSB1 regulation following the inhibition of replication.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

InternationaL cross-sectIonAl and longItudinal assessment on aSthma cONtrol in European adult patients : the LIAISON study protocol

The study is funded by Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., Parma, ItalyPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Conducting retrospective impact analysis to inform a medical research charity’s funding strategies: The case of Asthma UK

© 2013 Hanney et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: Debate is intensifying about how to assess the full range of impacts from medical research. Complexity increases when assessing the diverse funding streams of funders such as Asthma UK, a charitable patient organisation supporting medical research to benefit people with asthma. This paper aims to describe the various impacts identified from a range of Asthma UK research, and explore how Asthma UK utilised the characteristics of successful funding approaches to inform future research strategies. METHODS: We adapted the Payback Framework, using it both in a survey and to help structure interviews, documentary analysis, and case studies. We sent surveys to 153 lead researchers of projects, plus 10 past research fellows, and also conducted 14 detailed case studies. These covered nine projects and two fellowships, in addition to the innovative case studies on the professorial chairs (funded since 1988) and the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma (the ‘Centre’) which together facilitated a comprehensive analysis of the whole funding portfolio. We organised each case study to capture whatever academic and wider societal impacts (or payback) might have arisen given the diverse timescales, size of funding involved, and extent to which Asthma UK funding contributed to the impacts. RESULTS: Projects recorded an average of four peer-reviewed journal articles. Together the chairs reported over 500 papers. All streams of funding attracted follow-on funding. Each of the various categories of societal impacts arose from only a minority of individual projects and fellowships. Some of the research portfolio is influencing asthma-related clinical guidelines, and some contributing to product development. The latter includes potentially major breakthroughs in asthma therapies (in immunotherapy, and new inhaled drugs) trialled by university spin-out companies. Such research-informed guidelines and medicines can, in turn, contribute to health improvements. The role of the chairs and the pioneering collaborative Centre is shown as being particularly important. CONCLUSIONS: We systematically demonstrate that all types of Asthma UK’s research funding assessed are making impacts at different levels, but the main societal impacts from projects and fellowships come from a minority of those funded. Asthma UK used the study’s findings, especially in relation to the Centre, to inform research funding strategies to promote the achievement of impact.This study was funded by Asthma UK

Evaluation of a co-culture of rapidly isolated chondrocytes and stem cells seeded on tri-layered collagen-based scaffolds in a caprine osteochondral defect model

Cartilage has poor regenerative capacity and thus damage to the joint surfaces presents a major clinical challenge. Recent research has focussed on the development of tissue-engineered and cell-based approaches for the treatment of cartilage and osteochondral injuries, with current clinically available cell-based approaches including autologous chondrocyte implantation and matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation. However, these approaches have significant disadvantages due to the requirement for a two-stage surgical procedure and an in vitro chondrocyte expansion phase which increases logistical challenges, hospital times and costs. In this study, we hypothesized that seeding biomimetic tri-layered scaffolds, with proven regenerative potential, with chondrocyte/infrapatellar fat pad stromal cell co-cultures would improve their regenerative capacity compared to scaffolds implanted cell-free. Rapid cell isolation techniques, without the requirement for long term in vitro culture, were utilised to achieve co-cultures of chondrocytes and stromal cells and thus overcome the limitations of existing cell-based techniques. Cell-free and cell-seeded scaffolds were implanted in osteochondral defects, created within the femoral condyle and trochlear ridge, in a translational large animal goat model. While analysis showed trends towards delayed subchondral bone healing in the cell-seeded scaffold group, by the 12 month timepoint the cell-free and cell-seeded groups yield cartilage and bone tissue with comparable quality and quantity. The results of the study reinforce the potential of the biomimetic tri-layered scaffold to repair joint defects but failed to demonstrate a clear benefit from the addition of the CC/FPMSC co-culture to this scaffold. Taking into consideration the additional cost and complexity associated with the cell-seeded scaffold approach, this study demonstrates that the treatment of osteochondral defects using cell-free tri-layered scaffolds may represent a more prudent clinical approach

The evolution of the student as a customer in Australian higher education: a policy perspective

In 2014, the Australian Federal Government attempted to de-regulate higher education fees so as to allow universities to set their own tuition fees. The associated public debate offer critical insights into how the identity of a student as a ‘customer’ of higher education is understood and deployed when developing higher education policy. This paper uses the 2014 Australian higher education reforms as a lens through which to further scholarly research into the student-as-customer metaphor and to see how it is influenced by the perceptions and understandings of policy actors external to the higher education sector. These include politicians, special interest groups, the students and their parents and prospective employers. This study reveals that the public/private nexus—both of funding and benefit— problematizes traditional conceptualisations of students and others as higher education customers. In turn, this restricts the ability or desire of policy actors to describe how the student functions as a customer as a consequence of market reform. This inability compromises the development of effective and sustainable higher education polic