Modelling peatlands as a complex adaptive systems

PhDA new conceptual approach to modelling peatlands, DigiBog, involves a Complex Adaptive Systems consideration of raised bogs. A new computer hydrological model is presented, tested, and its capabilities in simulating hydrological behaviour in a real bog demonstrated. The hydrological model, while effective as a stand-alone modelling tool, provides a conceptual and algorithmic structure for ecohydrological models presented later. Using DigiBog architecture to build a cellular model of peatland patterning dynamics, various rulesets were experimented with to assess their effectiveness in predicting patterns. Contrary to findings by previous authors, the ponding model did not predict patterns under steady hydrological conditions. None of the rulesets presented offered an improvement over the existing nutrient-scarcity model. Sixteen shallow peat cores from a Swedish raised bog were analysed to investigate the relationship between cumulative peat decomposition and hydraulic conductivity, a relationship previously neglected in models of peatland patterning and peat accumulation. A multivariate analysis showed depth to be a stronger control on hydraulic conductivity than cumulative decomposition, reflecting the role of compression in closing pore spaces. The data proved to be largely unsuitable for parameterising models of peatland dynamics, due mainly to problems in core selection. However, the work showed that hydraulic conductivity could be expressed quantitatively as a function of other physical variables such as depth and cumulative decomposition. DigiBog architecture was used to build a simple, vertical, ecohydrological model of long-term peat accumulation. As model complexity was increased under a self-organisation approach, model predictions of peat accumulation rates and surface wetness changed dramatically, revealing the importance of feedbacks between peatland hydrological behaviour and peat physical properties. This work may have important implications for palaeoclimatic reconstructions which assume peatland surface wetness to be a reliable climatic indicator. The expansion of the model to include horizontal space altered model behaviour in quantitative and qualitative terms

A review of occupational regulation and its impact

This Evidence Report develops a deeper understanding of the nature and impact of occupational regulation in the UK. The term, occupational regulation, is a broad heading for various mechanisms (including licence to practice and voluntary forms) through which minimum skill standards are applied within occupations. As such, occupational regulation is one of a range of levers, or best market solutions, which are designed to encourage employers to train on a collective basis. The use of occupational regulation as a mechanism for increasing the demand for, and supply of, skills was considered alongside other measures, as part of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ Review of Employer Collective Measures. However, that Review acknowledged the general topic of occupational regulation was under researched in the UK. This research, conducted by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, helps to address this and deepens our knowledge of the area by: providing a discussion on the existing theory on occupational regulation by examining existing economic literature; providing a detailed review of the existing evidence on occupational regulation in the UK, America, Canada and Europe (Germany, France and Italy), again via existing literature; providing a comprehensive map of occupational regulation in the UK, through the mapping of managerial, professional and non-professional occupations at the Unit Group level of the Standard Occupational Classification (2000); producing estimates of the labour market impact of occupational regulation in the UK. Its prevalence is estimated by comparing the mapping output with Unit Group data obtained from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). Further analysis, via cross-sectional analysis, produces estimates on levels of qualifications, wages and rates of job-related training between workers in regulated and unregulated occupations. This uses QLFS 2010 data. And a Difference-in-Differences analysis is employed to evaluate the impact of switches in regulation status on skill levels, job-related education and training, wages and employment. This uses QLFS data between 2001 and 2010

Relaxed and active thin filament structures; a new structural basis for the regulatory mechanism

The structures of muscle thin filaments reconstituted using skeletal actin and cardiac troponin and tropomyosin have been determined with and without bound Ca2+ using electron microscopy and reference-free single particle analysis. The resulting density maps have been fitted with atomic models of actin, tropomyosin and troponin showing that: (i) the polarity of the troponin complex is consistent with our 2009 findings, with large shape changes in troponin between the two states; (ii) without Ca2+ the tropomyosin pseudo-repeats all lie at almost equivalent positions in the 'blocked' position on actin (over subdomains 1 and 2); (iii) in the active state the tropomyosin pseudo-repeats are all displaced towards subdomains 3 and 4 of actin, but the extent of displacement varies within the regulatory unit depending upon the axial location of the pseudo-repeats with respect to troponin. Individual pseudo-repeats with Ca2+ bound to troponin can be assigned either to the 'closed' state, a partly activated conformation, or the 'M-state', a fully activated conformation which has previously been thought to occur only when myosin heads bind. These results lead to a modified view of the steric blocking model of thin filament regulation in which cooperative activation is governed by troponin-mediated local interactions of the pseudo-repeats of tropomyosin with actin

Porous silica spheres as indoor air pollutant scavengers

Porous silica spheres were investigated for their effectiveness in removing typical indoor air pollutants, such as aromatic and carbonyl-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and compared to the commercially available polymer styrene-divinylbenzene (XAD-4). The silica spheres and the XAD-4 resin were coated on denuder sampling devices and their adsorption efficiencies for volatile organic compounds evaluated using an indoor air simulation chamber. Real indoor sampling was also undertaken to evaluate the affinity of the silica adsorbents for a variety of indoor VOCs. The silica sphere adsorbents were found to have a high affinity for polar carbonyls and found to be more efficient than the XAD-4 resin at adsorbing carbonyls in an indoor environment

Efficient Logic Programs: A Research Proposal

The goal of the proposed research is to develop methods for efficient implementation of logic programs. There are two areas we wish to investigate, both of which are continuations of research conducted by members of the UCI dataflow architecture group. One aspect of the proposed research involves development of a non-von Neumann architecture for parallel execution of logic programs; preliminary work in this area is reported by Conery [9]. The second area invovles transformation of high level logic specifications into efficient Prolog and/or procedural language programs, and is based on work by Morris [20]

Mixed-Initiative Activity Planning for Mars Rovers

One of the ground tools used to operate the Mars Exploration Rovers is a mixed-initiative planning system called MAPGEN. The role of the system is to assist operators building daily plans for each of the rovers, maximizing science return, while maintaining rover safety and abiding by science and engineering constraints. In this paper, we describe the MAPGEN system, focusing on the mixed-initiative planning aspect. We note important challenges, both in terms of human interaction and in terms of automated reasoning requirements. We then describe the approaches taken in MAPGEN, focusing on the novel methods developed by our team

Research to Market Transition of Mobile Assistive Technologies for People with Visual Impairments

Mobile devices are accessible to people with visual impairments and hence they are convenient platforms to support assistive technologies. Indeed, in the last years many scientifc contributions proposed assistive applications for mobile devices. However, few of these solutions were eventually delivered to end-users, depriving people with disabilities of important assistive tools. The underlying problem is that a number of challenges need to be faced for transitioning assistive mobile applications from research to market. This contribution reports authors\u2019 experience in the academic research and successive distribution of three mobile assistive applications for people with visual impairment. As a general message, we describe the relevant characteristics of the target population, analyze different models of transition from academic research to end-users distribution and show how the transitioning process has a positive impact on research

Peripheral inflammation in prodromal Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementias.

OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence for the role of systemic inflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases; however the systemic inflammatory profile in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has never before been investigated. This study aimed to characterise systemic inflammatory mediators in established DLB and AD, as well as in their prodromal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) phases. METHODS: We obtained plasma samples from patients with DLB (n=37), AD (n=20), MCI with DLB profile (n=38), MCI with AD profile (n=20) and healthy control subjects (n=20). The following inflammatory biomarkers were measured using Roche cobas c702 and Meso Scale Discovery V-Plex Plus: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. RESULTS: We found significantly higher levels of IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-4 and IL-2 in both MCI groups (P<0.001), while there was no significant difference in inflammatory markers between dementia groups and controls. Furthermore, increased disease severity was associated with lower levels of IL-1beta, IL-2 and IL-4 (P<0.05). INTERPRETATION: We have shown for the first time that in both DLB and AD, increased peripheral inflammation occurs early at the MCI disease stages. These data support a role for inflammation early in the disease process, and have important implications for the stage of disease where trials of anti-inflammatory medication should be focused.We would like to acknowledge our funders; the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Unit in Lewy Body Dementia based at Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. Thanks to The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. Eleanor King is also grateful to the Royal College of Psychiatrists Pathfinder Fellowship for the grant that was provided for this project. We would also like to thank Melanie Maitland and friends for their donations to our research in Lewy Body Dementi

CHARACTERIZATION OF COPPER IN LEACHATES FROM ACQ- AND MCQ-TREATED WOOD AND ITS EFFECT ON BASIDIOSPORE GERMINATION

The unpenetrated interior of wood with a shell of preservative treatment may be exposed when the wood is cut or when checks open up. Mobile copper from wood shell-treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has been shown to protect cut ends and checks against basidiospore germination. However, recent observations found that leachates from alkaline copper quat (ACQ)-treated wood failed to prevent basidiospore germination on untreated wood although copper levels were higher than toxic thresholds previously identified. It was hypothesized that the copper in leachate from ACQ-treated wood may be coordinated with monoethanolamine and/or lignin-based ligands and that this may result in poorer performance against basidiospores. In this study, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine the form of copper in leachates from ACQ, micronized copper quat (MCQ), and coppersulfate-treated wood. Leachates from ACQ-treated wood contained at least some degree of coordination with a nitrogen- and oxygen-containing ligand, probably monoethanolamine. This was not detected in leachates from MCQ and copper-sulfate-treated wood. These leachates were further evaluated for their ability to inhibit germination of Tyromyces palustris basidiospores. At low concentrations of copper, the CuSO4 and MCQ leachates were more effective than the ACQ leachate. At high concentrations CuSO4 and MCQ, leachates prevented germination in all samples, whereas ACQ leachates prevented germination in all but one sample