Stem cells for enhancing recovery after stroke: a review

The potential application for stem cell therapy is vast, and development for use in ischaemic stroke is still in its infancy. Access to stem cells for research is contentious; however, stem cells are obtainable from both animal and human. Despite a limited understanding of their mechanisms of action, clinical trials assessing stem cells in human stroke have been performed. Trials are also underway evaluating haematopoietic precursors mobilised with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, an approach offering an autologous means of administrating stem cells for therapeutic purposes. This review summarises current knowledge in regard to stem cells and their potential for helping improve recovery after stroke

Temporary streams in temperate zones: recognizing, monitoring and restoring transitional aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems

Temporary streams are defined by periodic flow cessation, and may experience partial or complete loss of surface water. The ecology and hydrology of these transitional aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems have received unprecedented attention in recent years. Research has focussed on the arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean regions in which temporary systems are the dominant stream type, and those in cooler, wetter temperate regions with an oceanic climate influence are also receiving increasing attention. These oceanic systems take diverse forms, including meandering alluvial plain rivers, ‘winterbourne’ chalk streams, and peatland gullies. Temporary streams provide ecosystem services and support a diverse biota that includes rare and endemic specialists. We examine this biota and illustrate that temporary stream diversity can be higher than in comparable perennial systems, in particular when differences among sites and times are considered; these diversity patterns can be related to transitions between lotic, lentic, and terrestrial instream conditions. Human impacts on temperate-zone temporary streams are ubiquitous, and result from water-resource and land-use-related stressors, which interact in a changing climate to alter natural flow regimes. These impacts may remain uncharacterized due to inadequate protection of small temporary streams by current legislation, and hydrological and biological monitoring programs therefore require expansion to better represent temporary systems. Novel, temporary-stream-specific biomonitors and multi-metric indices require development, to integrate characterization of ecological quality during lotic, lentic, and terrestrial phases. In addition, projects to restore flow regimes, habitats, and communities may be required to improve the ecological quality of temporary stream

Paul J. Murphy, SJ Papers

All physical materials associated with the New England Province Archive are currently held by the Jesuit Archives in St. Louis, MO. Any inquiries about these materials should be directed to Jesuit Archives. Electronic versions of some items and the descriptions and finding aids to the Archives, which are hosted in CrossWorks, are provided only as a courtesy. Biographical Sketch: Paul Joseph Murphy was born on November 18, 1908 in Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA, the son of Jeremiah Edward and Mary Teresa Crowley Murphy. He attended Milton Public Grammar School and then, Boston College High School from 1922-1926. Following graduation, he entered into the Society of Jesus at Shadowbrook in Lenox, MA on September 7, 1926. Both his novitiate and juniorate were completed at Shadowbrook between 1926 and 1930. From 1930 until 1933, he studied Philosophy at Weston College i nWeston, MA. For his regency, he spent two years at St. George’s College in Kingston,Jamaica, teaching second year Mathematics and Spanish. After his regency, he returned to Weston to study Theology from 1935 until 1939 and also was ordained there on June 19, 1938 by Bishop Thomas A. Emmet, S.J. After completing his Theological studies, he began study in Sacred Eloquence, also at Weston, from 1939 to 1941. He received A.B. and M.A. degrees from Boston College and an S.T.L. in Sacred Eloquence from Weston College. His tertianship year was spent in Port Townsend, Washington from 1941-42. In 1942 he became an Assistant Professor of Religion and Spanish at the College of the Holy Cross,Worcester,MA. From 1943 until 1946 he was a Chaplain for the U.S. Maritime Service and then, the U.S. Navy. During this period, he took his final vows as a Jesuit at Weston College, on February 2, 1944. When he completed his active service as a Navy Chaplain, he returned to Holy Cross College and resumed his previous position for another year. He remained in the naval reserve until 1953. In 1947, he became a Parish Assistant at St. Mary’s in the North End of Boston. In 1948, he began work with St. Joseph’s Retreat League for Workingmen, and would be associated with that work from 1948 until 1964, serving as Co-Director with his brother Edward from 1948-1955, Director from 1955-1963, and Assistant Director from 1963-1964. When he left the St. Joseph’s Retreat League in 1964, he became Assistant Professor of Theology at Boston College, serving in this position until 1970. From 1970 until 1974, he was Retreat Director at Campion Hall inNorth Andover,MA. From 1974 until 1990, he worked with the local apostolate and retreat ministry at Weston College. On August 21, 1990, he died in Boston MA, at the age of 82. He is buried in the Jesuit cemetery at Campion Center in Weston, MA. In addition to his Province assignments, Fr. Murphy was prominent in many national and local movements. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Social Action Conference from 1961 until 1966. He served on the board and also worked as a field representative of Morality in Media, New York (MIM), a national organization dedicated to combating pornography and encouraging vigorous enforcement of obscenity laws. Fr. Murphy succeeded the first President of Morality in Media, New York, Rev. Morton A. Hill, S.J. after his death in 1985, serving in that capacity until 1988, after which he became vice chairman. Fr. Murphy was a founder of Morality in the Media of Massachusetts, an affiliate of the national organization. In 1969 he became its First President and served as a Member of the Board of Directors for the remainder of his life. He was also a founder of the Value of Life Committee of Massachusetts (VOLCOM) opposing abortion and euthanasia. He served as a Member of the Board of Governors of VOLCOM from 1972-1977, and remained active with the organization until his death. In 1984, he became a panelist on the “Topic Religion” program of WEEI-AM radio also continuing this activity until his death. Fr. Paul Murphy was the youngest of three brothers who were members of the New England Province. His older brothers were Fr. George M. Murphy, S.J. (1899-1971) and Fr. Edward L. Murphy, S.J. (1904-1973), who served with Paul as Co-Director of St. Joseph’s Retreat League for Workingmen. The Murphy brothers were also the uncles of another member of the New England Province, Fr. W. Laurence O’Neil, S.J. (1930-2009). Scope and Content: Fr. Paul J. Murphy’s papers consist of format, subject, and administrative files. The format series are biographical papers, correspondence, writings, and retreat notes. The subject series consist of Theology Notes, Society of Jesus and New England Province History, and other files, grouped under the Series: Varia – One Folder of Material, that includes “Topic Religion” radio program notes. The administrative files consist of materials related to organizations Fr. Murphy was involved with: Morality in Media, New York; Morality in Media in Massachusetts; and the Value of Life Committee (VOLCOM). Many of the subject and administrative files also contain correspondence and writings. The biographical papers document his military service and Jesuit membership. The correspondence consists of letters to and from his family, including his brothers, Frs. George M. Murphy, S.J. (1899-1971) and Edward L. Murphy, S.J. (1904-1973), letters from Robert Chaplin (1887-1961), a well-known member of the International Workers of the World (IWW, aka Wobbly), and letters to Editors and Radio-TV stations regarding pornography, obscenity and other topics. The writings are divided into secular and ecclesiastical files. The secular writings cover topics of importance to Fr. Murphy: abortion, pornography, homosexuality and sex education. Speeches are also included in this series. One folder includes notes for a “Proposed Book of My Writings” that gives a basic bibliography of the writings he considered important. The ecclesiastical writings consist of retreat talks, sermons and homilies. The Society of Jesus and New England Province History series includes files on the history of three apostolates of the New England Province: Campion Hall, a retreat house in North Andover, MA; St. Joseph’s Retreat League for Workingmen, a work which Frs. Paul and Edward Murphy founded; and, Xavier High School in Concord, MA. The administrative files contain correspondence, documents, publications, conference materials and subject files specifically related to that organization

Rapid subsurface warming and circulation changes of Antarctic coastal waters by poleward shifting winds

The southern hemisphere westerly winds have been strengthening and shifting poleward since the 1950s. This wind trend is projected to persist under continued anthropogenic forcing, but the impact of the changing winds on Antarctic coastal heat distribution remains poorly understood. Here we show that a poleward wind shift at the latitudes of the Antarctic Peninsula can produce an intense warming of subsurface coastal waters that exceeds 2°C at 200-700 m depth. The model simulated warming results from a rapid advective heat flux induced by weakened near-shore Ekman pumping and is associated with weakened coastal currents. This analysis shows that anthropogenically induced wind changes can dramatically increase the temperature of ocean water at ice sheet grounding lines and at the base of floating ice shelves around Antarctica, with potentially significant ramifications for global sea level rise. Key Points Twenty-first century winds drive Antarctic coastal warming and circulation changes The winds cause coastal isotherms to shoal and weaken coastal currents Fine model grid resolution is required to represent the coastal Ekman dynamic

Warm Circumpolar Deep Water transport toward Antarctica driven by local dense water export in canyons

Poleward transport of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) has been linked to melting of Antarctic ice shelves. However, even the steady-state spatial distribution and mechanisms of CDW transport remain poorly understood. Using a global, eddying ocean model, we explore the relationship between the cross-slope transports of CDW and descending Dense Shelf Water (DSW). We find large spatial variability in CDW heat and volume transport around Antarctica, with substantially enhanced flow where DSW descends in canyons. The CDW and DSW transports are highly spatially correlated within ~20 km and temporally correlated on subdaily time scales. Focusing on the Ross Sea, we show that the relationship is driven by pulses of overflowing DSW lowering sea surface height, leading to net onshore CDW transport. The majority of simulated onshore CDW transport is concentrated in cold-water regions, rather than warm-water regions, with potential implications for ice-ocean interactions and global sea level rise

An index to track the ecological effects of drought development and recovery on riverine invertebrate communities

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd In rivers, the ecological effects of drought typically result in gradual adjustments of invertebrate community structure and functioning, punctuated by sudden changes as key habitats, such as wetted channel margins, become dewatered and dry. This paper outlines the development and application of a new index (Drought Effect of Habitat Loss on Invertebrates – DEHLI) to quantify the effects of drought on instream macroinvertebrate communities by assigning weights to taxa on the basis of their likely association with key stages of channel drying. Two case studies are presented, in which the DEHLI index illustrates the ecological development of drought conditions and subsequent recovery. These examples demonstrate persistent drought effects months or several years after river flows recovered. Results derived using DEHLI are compared with an established macroinvertebrate flow velocity-reactive index (Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation – LIFE score) and demonstrates its greater sensitivity to drought conditions. Data from a number of rivers in south east England were used to calibrate a statistical model, which was then used to examine the response of DEHLI and LIFE to a hypothetical multi-year drought. This demonstrated a difference in response between sampling seasons, with the spring model indicating a lagged response due to delayed recolonisation and the autumn model differentiating habitat loss and flow velocity-driven responses. The application of DEHLI and the principles which underlie it allow the effects of drought on instream habitats and invertebrates associated with short or long term weather patterns to be monitored, whilst also allowing the identification of specific locations where intervention via river restoration, or revision of existing abstraction licensing, may be required to increase resilience to the effect of anthropogenic activities exacerbated by climate change

Mapping habitat indices across river networks using spatial statistical modelling of River Habitat Survey data

Freshwater ecosystems are declining faster than their terrestrial and marine counterparts because of physical pressures on habitats. European legislation requires member states to achieve ecological targets through the effective management of freshwater habitats. Maps of habitats across river networks would help diagnose environmental problems and plan for the delivery of improvement work. Existing habitat mapping methods are generally time consuming, require experts and are expensive to implement. Surveys based on sampling are cheaper but provide patchy representations of habitat distribution. In this study, we present a method for mapping habitat indices across networks using semi-quantitative data and a geostatistical technique called regression kriging. The method consists of the derivation of habitat indices using multivariate statistical techniques that are regressed on map-based covariates such as altitude, slope and geology. Regression kriging combines the Generalised Least Squares (GLS) regression technique with a spatial analysis of model residuals. Predictions from the GLS model are ‘corrected’ using weighted averages of model residuals following an analysis of spatial correlation. The method was applied to channel substrate data from the River Habitat Survey in Great Britain. A Channel Substrate Index (CSI) was derived using Correspondence Analysis and predicted using regression kriging. The model explained 74% of the main sample variability and 64% in a test sample. The model was applied to the English and Welsh river network and a map of CSI was produced. The proposed approach demonstrates how existing national monitoring data and geostatistical techniques can be used to produce continuous maps of habitat indices at the national scale

Jography: Exploring meanings, experiences and spatialities of recreational road-running

Jogging is a relatively under-researched mobile practice with much existing literature focusing on ‘serious’ and competitive running. In this paper, we provide an account of some of the movements, meanings and experiences that together help produce the practice of jogging in the south-western English city of Plymouth. Drawing upon participant diaries and interviews, we uncover rich detail about how joggers ascribe not one but a number of meanings to their practice. Some of these are positive, some are negative; some complement each other and some compete with each other. We also consider how the experiences of joggers can be shaped by their ongoing need to develop tactics capable of enabling them to negotiate space with non-joggers. This is in some contrast to more competitive running that occurs in the separated space of an athletics track. Our sense is that better awareness of the meanings and experiences of jogging will be of value if the advertised health and sustainability benefits of the practice are to be more effectively encouraged and promoted

Preliminary Evaluation of Removing Used Nuclear Fuel From Nine Shutdown Sites

he Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future identified removal of stranded used nuclear fuel at shutdown sites as a priority so that these sites may be completely decommissioned and put to other beneficial uses. In this report, a preliminary evaluation of removing used nuclear fuel from nine shutdown sites was conducted. The shutdown sites included Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, and Zion. At these sites a total of 7649 used nuclear fuel assemblies and a total of 2813.2 metric tons heavy metal (MTHM) of used nuclear fuel are contained in 248 storage canisters. In addition, 11 canisters containing greater-than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste are stored at these sites. The evaluation was divided in four components: • characterization of the used nuclear fuel and GTCC low-level radioactive waste inventory at the shutdown sites • an evaluation of the onsite transportation conditions at the shutdown sites • an evaluation of the near-site transportation infrastructure and experience relevant to the shipping of transportation casks containing used nuclear fuel from the shutdown sites • an evaluation of the actions necessary to prepare for and remove used nuclear fuel and GTCC low-level radioactive waste from the shutdown sites. Using these evaluations the authors developed time sequences of activities and time durations for removing the used nuclear fuel and GTCC low-level radioactive waste from a single shutdown site, from three shutdown sites located close to each other, and from all nine shutdown sites