Environmental control of harmful dinoflagellates and diatoms in a fjordic system

Fjordic coastlines provide an ideal protected environment for both finfish and shellfish aquaculture operations. This study reports the results of a cruise to the Scottish Clyde Sea, and associated fjordic sea lochs, that coincided with blooms of the diarrhetic shellfish toxin producing dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuta and the diatom genus Chaetoceros, that can generate finfish mortalities. Unusually, D. acuta reached one order of magnitude higher cell abundance in the water column (2840 cells L−1) than the more common Dinophysis acuminata (200 cells L−1) and was linked with elevated shellfish toxicity (maximum 601 ± 237 μg OA eq/kg shellfish flesh) which caused shellfish harvesting closures in the region. Significant correlations between D. acuta abundance and that of Mesodinium rubrum were also observed across the cruise transect potentially supporting bloom formation of the mixotrophic D. acuta. Significant spatial variability in phytoplankton that was related to physical characteristics of the water column was observed, with a temperature-driven frontal region at the mouth of Loch Fyne being important in the development of the D. acuta, but not the Chaetoceros bloom. The front also provided important protection to the aquaculture located within the loch, with neither of the blooms encroaching within it. Analysis based on a particle-tracking model confirms the importance of the front to cell transport and shows significant inter-annual differences in advection within the region, that are important to the harmful algal bloom risk therein

Associations between age and sleep apnea risk among newborn infants

ObjectiveAmong older children, sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with measurable neurocognitive consequences. However, diagnostic SDB thresholds are lacking for infants < 12 months. We sought to evaluate the relationship between SDB indices, gestational age (GA), and postmenstrual age (PMA) for infants who underwent clinically‐indicated polysomnograms at a tertiary care center.MethodsEvery infant < 3‐months chronological age whose first clinically‐indicated polysomnogram was between 2/2012 and 2/2017 was included. Linear regression was used to evaluate associations between apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI), obstructive‐apnea index (OAI), and GA and PMA for infants with and without obvious clinical risk factors for SDB (eg, micrognathia and cleft palate).ResultsFor 53 infants without obvious SDB risk factors (GA 35.6 ± 4.5 weeks; PMA 41.2 ± 4.0 weeks), mean AHI was 27 ± 18 and OAI 2.9 ± 4.5. There was a weak inverse relationship between AHI and PMA (r2 = 0.12, P = 0.01), but AHI was not predicted by GA (r2 = 0.04, P = 0.13). Conversely, OAI was more strongly associated with GA (r2 = 0.33, P < 0.0001) than PMA (r2 = 0.08, P = 0.036). For 28 infants with congenital structural anomalies that predispose to SDB (GA 38.0 ± 3.1 weeks, PMA 43.1 ± 3.3 weeks, AHI 37.7 ± 30, OAI 8.2 ± 11.8), neither AHI nor OAI were related to PMA or GA.ConclusionsAmong infants who received clinically‐indicated polysomnograms but did not have obvious structural risk for SDB, AHI declined with advancing PMA, but obstructive‐apnea was best predicted by prematurity. In contrast, the SDB risk did not improve with increasing GA or PMA for infants with congenital structural risk factors; such infants may not outgrow their risk for SDB.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150552/1/ppul24354_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150552/2/ppul24354.pd

Super-heavy fermion material as metallic refrigerant for adiabatic demagnetization cooling

Low-temperature refrigeration is of crucial importance in fundamental research of condensed matter physics, as the investigations of fascinating quantum phenomena, such as superconductivity, superfluidity and quantum criticality, often require refrigeration down to very low temperatures. Currently, cryogenic refrigerators with $^3$He gas are widely used for cooling below 1 Kelvin. However, usage of the gas is being increasingly difficult due to the current world-wide shortage. Therefore, it is important to consider alternative methods of refrigeration. Here, we show that a new type of refrigerant, super-heavy electron metal, YbCo$_2$Zn$_{20}$, can be used for adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration, which does not require 3He gas. A number of advantages includes much better metallic thermal conductivity compared to the conventional insulating refrigerants. We also demonstrate that the cooling performance is optimized in Yb$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$Co$_2$Zn$_{20}$ by partial Sc substitution with $x\sim$0.19. The substitution induces chemical pressure which drives the materials close to a zero-field quantum critical point. This leads to an additional enhancement of the magnetocaloric effect in low fields and low temperatures enabling final temperatures well below 100 mK. Such performance has up to now been restricted to insulators. Since nearly a century the same principle of using local magnetic moments has been applied for adiabatic demagnetization cooling. This study opens new possibilities of using itinerant magnetic moments for the cryogen-free refrigeration

Emerging nuclear collectivity in 124-130Te

The emergence of nuclear collectivity near doubly-magic 132Sn was explored along the stable, eveneven 124−130Te isotopes. Preliminary measurements of the B(E2; 41+ → 21+) transition strengths are reported from Coulomb excitation experiments primarily aimed at measuring the g factors of the 41+ states. Isotopically enriched Te targets were excited by 198-205 MeV 58Ni beams. A comparison of transition strengths obtained is made to large-scale shell-model calculations with successes and limitations discussed

Soil moisture deficit estimation using satellite multi-angle brightness temperature

Accurate soil moisture information is critically important for hydrological modelling. Although remote sensing soil moisture measurement has become an important data source, it cannot be used directly in hydrological modelling. A novel study based on nonlinear techniques (a local linear regression (LLR) and two feedforward artificial neural networks (ANNs)) is carried out to estimate soil moisture deficit (SMD), using the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) multi-angle brightness temperatures (Tbs) with both horizontal (H) and vertical (V) polarisations. The gamma test is used for the first time to determine the optimum number of Tbs required to construct a reliable smooth model for SMD estimation, and the relationship between model input and output is achieved through error variance estimation. The simulated SMD time series in the study area is from the Xinanjiang hydrological model. The results have shown that LLR model is better at capturing the interrelations between SMD and Tbs than ANNs, with outstanding statistical performances obtained during both training (NSE = 0.88, r = 0.94, RMSE = 0.008 m) and testing phases (NSE = 0.85, r = 0.93, RMSE = 0.009 m). Nevertheless, both ANN training algorithms (radial BFGS and conjugate gradient) have performed well in estimating the SMD data and showed excellent performances compared with those derived directly from the SMOS soil moisture products. This study has also demonstrated the informative capability of the gamma test in the input data selection for model development. These results provide interesting perspectives for data-assimilation in flood-forecasting

A new insight for monitoring ungulates : density surface modelling of roe deer in a Mediterranean habitat

We would like to thank the University of Aveiro (Department of Biology) and FCT/MEC for the financial support to CESAM RU (UID/AMB/50017) through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. TAM is partially funded by FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013.Ungulates are especially difficult to monitor, and population estimates are challenging to obtain; nevertheless, such information is fundamental for effective management. This is particularly important for expanding species such as roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), whose populations dramatically increased in number and geographic distribution over the last decades. In an attempt to follow population trends and assess species ecology, important methodological advances were recently achieved by combining line or point sampling with geographic information systems (GIS). In this study, we combined density surface modelling (DSM) with line transect survey to predict roe deer density in northeastern Portugal. This was based on modelling pellet group counts as a function of environmental factors while taking into account the probability of detecting pellets and conversion factors to relate pellet density to animal density. We estimated a global density of 3.01 animals/100 ha (95 % CI 0.37–3.51) with a 32.82 % CV. Roe deer densities increased with increasing distance to roads as well as with higher percentage of cover areas and decreased with increasing distance to human populations. This recently developed spatial method can be advantageous to predict density over space through the identification of key factors influencing species abundance. Furthermore, surface maps for subset areas will enable to visually depict abundance distribution of wild populations. This will enable the assessment of areas where ungulate impacts should be minimized, allowing an adaptive management through time.PostprintPeer reviewe

Transmission of Aerosolized Seasonal H1N1 Influenza A to Ferrets

Influenza virus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet little quantitative understanding of transmission is available to guide evidence-based public health practice. Recent studies of influenza non-contact transmission between ferrets and guinea pigs have provided insights into the relative transmission efficiencies of pandemic and seasonal strains, but the infecting dose and subsequent contagion has not been quantified for most strains. In order to measure the aerosol infectious dose for 50% (aID50) of seronegative ferrets, seasonal influenza virus was nebulized into an exposure chamber with controlled airflow limiting inhalation to airborne particles less than 5 µm diameter. Airborne virus was collected by liquid impinger and Teflon filters during nebulization of varying doses of aerosolized virus. Since culturable virus was accurately captured on filters only up to 20 minutes, airborne viral RNA collected during 1-hour exposures was quantified by two assays, a high-throughput RT-PCR/mass spectrometry assay detecting 6 genome segments (Ibis T5000™ Biosensor system) and a standard real time RT-qPCR assay. Using the more sensitive T5000 assay, the aID50 for A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) was approximately 4 infectious virus particles under the exposure conditions used. Although seroconversion and sustained levels of viral RNA in upper airway secretions suggested established mucosal infection, viral cultures were almost always negative. Thus after inhalation, this seasonal H1N1 virus may replicate less efficiently than H3N2 virus after mucosal deposition and exhibit less contagion after aerosol exposure

Factors predicting hospital length-of-stay and readmission after colorectal resection: a population-based study of elective and emergency admissions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The impact of developments in colorectal cancer surgery on length-of-stay (LOS) and re-admission have not been well described. In a population-based analysis, we investigated predictors of LOS and emergency readmission after the initial surgery episode.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Incident colorectal cancers (ICD-O2: C18-C20), diagnosed 2002-2008, were identified from the National Cancer Registry Ireland, and linked to hospital in-patient episodes. For those who underwent colorectal resection, the associated hospital episode was identified. Factors predicting longer LOS (upper-quartile, > 24 days) for elective and emergency admissions separately, and whether LOS predicted emergency readmission within 28 days of discharge, were investigated using logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>8197 patients underwent resection, 63% (n = 5133) elective and 37% (n = 3063) emergency admissions. Median LOS was 14 days (inter-quartile range (IQR) = 11-20) for elective and 21 (15-33) for emergency admissions. For both emergency and elective admissions, likelihood of longer LOS was significantly higher in patients who were older, had co-morbidities and were unmarried; it was reduced for private patients. For emergency patients only the likelihood of longer LOS was lower for patients admitted to higher-volume hospitals. Longer LOS was associated with increased risk of emergency readmission.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>One quarter of patients stay in hospital for at least 25 days following colorectal resection. Over one third of resected patients are emergency admissions and these have a significantly longer median LOS. Patient- and health service-related factors were associated with prolonged LOS. Longer LOS was associated with increased risk of emergency readmission. The cost implications of these findings are significant.</p

Evidence for shape coexistence in 52Cr through conversion-electron and pairconversion spectroscopy

Electric monopole (E0) transitions are a highly sensitive probe of the charge distribution of an atomic nucleus. A large E0 transition strength (ρ2(E0)) is a clear indicator of nuclear shape coexistence. In the region between doubly magic 40Ca and 56Ni, E0 transitions have never been observed in the Ti or Cr isotopes, nor in the heavier iron isotopes (56,58Fe). We have performed the first measurements of the E0 transitions in 52Cr via conversion-electron and pair-conversion spectroscopy using the Super-e spectrometer at the Australian National University Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility. We present the first spectra obtained for 52Cr, including the first observation of the E0 transition from the first-excited 0+ state in 52Cr, in both electron-positron pairs and conversion-electron spectroscopy. The preliminary values for the E0 strength in the 1531keV 2+ → 2+ transition in 52Cr is ρ2(E0) � 103 = 470(190), and for the 1728-keV 23+ → 21+ transition, it is ρ2(E0) 103 = 1800(1200). The large E0 strengths observed are consistent with shape coexistence in this region. However, despite the relatively precise observation of the conversion-electron and electron-positron pair intensities, the E0 strengths have large uncertainties. More precise determinations of relevant spectroscopic quantities, such as the state lifetimes and transition mixing ratios for mixed M1 + E2 transitions, are needed to determine the E0 strength more precisely.This research was supported in part by the Australian Research Council grant numbers DP140102986 and DP170101673, and was partially supported by the International Joint Research Promotion Program of Osaka University and JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H02893. This work is also based on the research supported partly by National Research Foundation of South Africa (118645, 90741). J.T.H.D., A.A., B.J.C., M.S.M.G., T.J.G., B.P.M., and B.P.E.T. acknowledge support of the Australian Government Research Training Program. Support for the ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility operations through the Australian National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy program is acknowledged