Biomarkers of inflammatory arthritis and proteomics

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Probabilistic soil moisture projections to assess Great Britain's future clay-related subsidence hazard

Clay-related subsidence is Great Britain’s (GB) most damaging soil-related geohazard, costing the economy up to £500 million per annum. Soil-related geohazard models based on mineralogy and potential soil moisture deficit (PSMD) derived from historic weather data have been used in risk management since the 1990s. United Kingdom Climate Projections (UKCP09) suggest that regions of GB will experience hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters through to 2050. As a result, PSMD fluctuations are expected to increase, exacerbating the shrinkage and swelling of clay soils. A forward-looking approach is now required to mitigate the impacts of future climate on GB’s built environment. We present a framework for incorporating probabilistic projections of PSMD, derived from a version of the UKCP09 stochastic weather generator, into a clay subsidence model. This provides a novel, national-scale thematic model of the likelihood of clay-related subsidence, related to the top 1-1.5m soil layer, for three time periods; baseline (1961-1990), 2030 (2020-2049) and 2050 (2040-2069). Results indicate that much of GB, with the exception of upland areas, will witness significantly higher PSMDs through to the 2050’s. As a result, areas with swelling clay soils will be subject to proportionately increased subsidence hazard. South-east England will likely incur the highest hazard exposure to clay-related subsidence through to 2050. Potential impacts include increased incidence of property foundation subsidence, alongside deterioration and increased failure rates of GB’s infrastructure networks. Future clay-subsidence hazard scenarios provide benefit to many sectors, including: finance, central and local government, residential property markets, utilities and infrastructure operators.EPSR

Soil geohazard mapping for improved asset management of UK local roads

Unclassified roads comprise 60% of the road network in the United Kingdom (UK). The resilience of this locally important network is declining. It is considered by the Institution of Civil Engineers to be “at risk” and is ranked 26th in the world. Many factors contribute to the degradation and ultimate failure of particular road sections. However, several UK local authorities have identified that in drought conditions, road sections founded upon shrink–swell susceptible clay soils undergo significant deterioration compared with sections on non-susceptible soils. This arises from the local road network having little, if any, structural foundations. Consequently, droughts in East Anglia have resulted in millions of pounds of damage, leading authorities to seek emergency governmental funding. This paper assesses the use of soil-related geohazard assessments in providing soil-informed maintenance strategies for the asset management of the locally important road network of the UK. A case study draws upon the UK administrative county of Lincolnshire, where road assessment data have been analysed against mapped clay-subsidence risk. This reveals a statistically significant relationship between road condition and susceptible clay soils. Furthermore, incorporation of UKCP09 future climate projections within the geohazard models has highlighted roads likely to be at future risk of clay-related subsidence

The Moral Visions of the Epistle of James and Zhongyong

This dissertation is a cross-textual study, designed to compare the moral visions of the Epistle of James and Zhongyong. The Epistle of James is a book of the Christian New Testament. Zhongyong is one of the Four Books of Confucianism. This introductory chapter will present the relevance and method of this study. First, the ongoing relevance of the present topic will be introduced in the section entitled China and Christianity. This section notes the impact of Christianity on China, the Chinese impact upon Christianity, and the consequent importance of investigating Chinese thought in order to understand Chinese interaction with Christianity. Mainstream Chinese Thought As Predominantly Confucian will then discuss the way in which Confucian thought has continually been affirmed as the mainstream in Chinese culture. Next, The History of Confucian and Christian Comparative Studies will express the relevance of this particular study as a continuity within the stream of a four hundred year old movement. After discussing the relevance of this inquiry in the three sections noted above, the method of this dissertation will be presented in the following sections. Moral Vision: Point of Comparison defines moral vision and presents moral vision as the best point of comparison between Christian and Confucian thought. Cross-textual Study then introduces the method of comparative textual investigation used in this inquiry. This leads into the justification for the choice of each text: The Choice of Zhongyong and The Choice of The Epistle of James. Further refinement of the method of this cross-textual comparative study follows in From Exhortations to Metanarrative, which explains how the moral vision of each text will be presented in order to facilitate comparison. Then, Procedure of This Dissertation will describe the flow of presentation. Finally, Linguistic Matters will explain translation issues and the use of Chinese romanization and surnames in this dissertation

Some Poems by Stephen Oliver

CREATIVE WOR

“O Brother Where Art Thou?”

O Brother Where Art Thou

Enhanced visualization of the flat landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands

The Fenlands of East Anglia, England, represent a subtle landscape, where topographic highs rarely exceed 30 m above sea level. However, the fens represent an almost full sequence of Quaternary deposits which, together with islands of Cretaceous and Jurassic outcrops, make the area of geological importance. This feature discusses the advantages of using 3D visualization coupled with high-resolution topographical data, over traditional 2D techniques, when undertaking an analysis of the landscape. Conclusions suggest that the use of 3D visualization will result in a higher level of engagement, particularly when communicating geological information to a wider public