Now the wars are over: The past, present and future of Scottish battlefields

Battlefield archaeology has provided a new way of appreciating historic battlefields. This paper provides a summary of the long history of warfare and conflict in Scotland which has given rise to a large number of battlefield sites. Recent moves to highlight the archaeological importance of these sites, in the form of Historic Scotland’s Battlefields Inventory are discussed, along with some of the problems associated with the preservation and management of these important cultural sites

Estimating fugitive bioaerosol releases from static compost windrows: feasibility of portable wind tunnel approach

An assessment of the fugitive release of bioaerosols from static compost piles was conducted at a green waste composting facility in South East England; this representing the initial stage of a programme of research into the influence of process parameters on bioaerosol emission flux. Wind tunnel experiments conducted on the surface of static windrows generated specific bioaerosol emission rates (SBER2s) at ground level of between 13 - 22 x10 3 cfu/m 2 /s for mesophilic actinomycetes and between 8 - 11 x10 3 cfu/m 2 /s for Aspergillus fumigatus. Air dispersion modelling of these emissions using the SCREEN3 air dispersion model in area source term mode was used to generate source depletion curves downwind of the facility for comparative purposes

Golf and upper limb injuries: a summary and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Golf is a popular past time that provides exercise with social interaction. However, as with all sports and activities, injury may occur. Many golf-related injuries occur in the upper limb, yet little research on the potential mechanisms of these injuries has been conducted. OBJECTIVE: To review the current literature on golf-related upper limb injuries and report on potential causes of injury as it relates to the golf swing. DISCUSSION: An overview of the golf swing is described in terms of its potential to cause the frequently noted injuries. Most injuries occur at impact when the golf club hits the ball. This paper concludes that more research into golf-related upper limb injuries is required to develop a thorough understanding of how injuries occur. Types of research include epidemiology studies, kinematic swing analysis and electromyographic studies of the upper limb during golf. By conducting such research, preventative measures maybe developed to reduce golf related injury

Sensitivity of predicted bioaerosol exposure from open windrow composting facilities to ADMS dispersion model parameters

Bioaerosols are released in elevated quantities from composting facilities and are associated with negative health effects, although dose-response relationships are not well understood, and require improved exposure classification. Dispersion modelling has great potential to improve exposure classification, but has not yet been extensively used or validated in this context. We present a sensitivity analysis of the ADMS dispersion model specific to input parameter ranges relevant to bioaerosol emissions from open windrow composting. This analysis provides an aid for model calibration by prioritising parameter adjustment and targeting independent parameter estimation. Results showed that predicted exposure was most sensitive to the wet and dry deposition modules and the majority of parameters relating to emission source characteristics, including pollutant emission velocity, source geometry and source height. This research improves understanding of the accuracy of model input data required to provide more reliable exposure predictions

Dynamic scanning probe microscopy of adsorbed molecules on graphite

We have used a combined dynamic scanning tunneling and atomic force microscope to study the organisation of weakly bound adsorbed molecules on a graphite substrate. Specifically we have acquired images of islands of the perylene derivative molecules. These weakly bound molecules may be imaged in dynamic STM, in which the probe is oscillated above the surface. We show that molecular resolution may be readily attained and that a similar mode of imaging may be realised using conventional STM arrangement. We also show, using tunnelling spectroscopy, the presence of an energy gap for the adsorbed molecules confirming a weak molecule-substrate interaction.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

PhylOTU: a high-throughput procedure quantifies microbial community diversity and resolves novel taxa from metagenomic data.

Microbial diversity is typically characterized by clustering ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) sequences into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Targeted sequencing of environmental SSU-rRNA markers via PCR may fail to detect OTUs due to biases in priming and amplification. Analysis of shotgun sequenced environmental DNA, known as metagenomics, avoids amplification bias but generates fragmentary, non-overlapping sequence reads that cannot be clustered by existing OTU-finding methods. To circumvent these limitations, we developed PhylOTU, a computational workflow that identifies OTUs from metagenomic SSU-rRNA sequence data through the use of phylogenetic principles and probabilistic sequence profiles. Using simulated metagenomic data, we quantified the accuracy with which PhylOTU clusters reads into OTUs. Comparisons of PCR and shotgun sequenced SSU-rRNA markers derived from the global open ocean revealed that while PCR libraries identify more OTUs per sequenced residue, metagenomic libraries recover a greater taxonomic diversity of OTUs. In addition, we discover novel species, genera and families in the metagenomic libraries, including OTUs from phyla missed by analysis of PCR sequences. Taken together, these results suggest that PhylOTU enables characterization of part of the biosphere currently hidden from PCR-based surveys of diversity

Is subdiffusional transport slower than normal?

We consider anomalous non-Markovian transport of Brownian particles in viscoelastic fluid-like media with very large but finite macroscopic viscosity under the influence of a constant force field F. The viscoelastic properties of the medium are characterized by a power-law viscoelastic memory kernel which ultra slow decays in time on the time scale \tau of strong viscoelastic correlations. The subdiffusive transport regime emerges transiently for t<\tau. However, the transport becomes asymptotically normal for t>>\tau. It is shown that even though transiently the mean displacement and the variance both scale sublinearly, i.e. anomalously slow, in time, ~ F t^\alpha, ~ t^\alpha, 0<\alpha<1, the mean displacement at each instant of time is nevertheless always larger than one obtained for normal transport in a purely viscous medium with the same macroscopic viscosity obtained in the Markovian approximation. This can have profound implications for the subdiffusive transport in biological cells as the notion of "ultra-slowness" can be misleading in the context of anomalous diffusion-limited transport and reaction processes occurring on nano- and mesoscales

Spectroscopic Survey of {\gamma} Doradus Stars I. Comprehensive atmospheric parameters and abundance analysis of {\gamma} Doradus stars

We present a spectroscopic survey of known and candidate $\gamma$\,Doradus stars. The high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra of 52 objects were collected by five different spectrographs. The spectral classification, atmospheric parameters (\teff, $\log g$, $\xi$), $v\sin i$ and chemical composition of the stars were derived. The stellar spectral and luminosity classes were found between G0-A7 and IV-V, respectively. The initial values for \teff\ and \logg\ were determined from the photometric indices and spectral energy distribution. Those parameters were improved by the analysis of hydrogen lines. The final values of \teff, \logg\ and $\xi$ were derived from the iron lines analysis. The \teff\ values were found between 6000\,K and 7900\,K, while \logg\,values range from 3.8 to 4.5\,dex. Chemical abundances and $v\sin i$ values were derived by the spectrum synthesis method. The $v\sin i$ values were found between 5 and 240\,km\,s$^{-1}$. The chemical abundance pattern of $\gamma$\,Doradus stars were compared with the pattern of non-pulsating stars. It turned out that there is no significant difference in abundance patterns between these two groups. Additionally, the relations between the atmospheric parameters and the pulsation quantities were checked. A strong correlation between the $v\sin i$ and the pulsation periods of $\gamma$\,Doradus variables was obtained. The accurate positions of the analysed stars in the H-R diagram have been shown. Most of our objects are located inside or close to the blue edge of the theoretical instability strip of $\gamma$\,Doradus.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figure

Hard Instances of the Constrained Discrete Logarithm Problem

The discrete logarithm problem (DLP) generalizes to the constrained DLP, where the secret exponent $x$ belongs to a set known to the attacker. The complexity of generic algorithms for solving the constrained DLP depends on the choice of the set. Motivated by cryptographic applications, we study sets with succinct representation for which the constrained DLP is hard. We draw on earlier results due to Erd\"os et al. and Schnorr, develop geometric tools such as generalized Menelaus' theorem for proving lower bounds on the complexity of the constrained DLP, and construct sets with succinct representation with provable non-trivial lower bounds

Epidemiology and Immune Pathogenesis of Viral Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis can be caused by a broad range of pathogens; however, bacterial infections represent the majority of sepsis cases. Up to 42% of sepsis presentations are culture negative, suggesting a non-bacterial cause. Despite this, diagnosis of viral sepsis remains very rare. Almost any virus can cause sepsis in vulnerable patients (e.g., neonates, infants, and other immunosuppressed groups). The prevalence of viral sepsis is not known, nor is there enough information to make an accurate estimate. The initial standard of care for all cases of sepsis, even those that are subsequently proven to be culture negative, is the immediate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. In the absence of definite diagnostic criteria for viral sepsis, or at least to exclude bacterial sepsis, this inevitably leads to unnecessary antimicrobial use, with associated consequences for antimicrobial resistance, effects on the host microbiome and excess healthcare costs. It is important to understand non-bacterial causes of sepsis so that inappropriate treatment can be minimised, and appropriate treatments can be developed to improve outcomes. In this review, we summarise what is known about viral sepsis, its most common causes, and how the immune responses to severe viral infections can contribute to sepsis. We also discuss strategies to improve our understanding of viral sepsis, and ways we can integrate this new information into effective treatment