Key issues of sustainable performance for construction projects

2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Research book or monograph (author)Version of RecordPublishe

The International Mass Loading Service

The International Mass Loading Service computes four loadings: a) atmospheric pressure loading; b) land water storage loading; c) oceanic tidal loading; and d) non-tidal oceanic loading. The service provides to users the mass loading time series in three forms: 1) pre-computed time series for a list of 849 space geodesy stations; 2) pre-computed time series on the global 1deg x 1deg grid; and 3) on-demand Internet service for a list of stations and a time range specified by the user. The loading displacements are provided for the time period from 1979.01.01 through present, updated on an hourly basis, and have latencies 8-20 hours.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of the Reference Frames for Applications in Geosciences Simposium, held in Luxemboug in October 201

Molecular knots

The first synthetic molecular trefoil knot was prepared in the late 1980s. However, it is only in the last few years that more complex small-molecule knot topologies have been realized through chemical synthesis. The steric restrictions imposed on molecular strands by knotting can impart significant physical and chemical properties, including chirality, strong and selective ion binding, and catalytic activity. As the number and complexity of accessible molecular knot topologies increases, it will become increasingly useful for chemists to adopt the knot terminology employed by other disciplines. Here we give an overview of synthetic strategies towards molecular knots and outline the principles of knot, braid, and tangle theory appropriate to chemistry and molecular structure

Sigrgarðs saga frækna: a normalised text, translation, and introduction

This article provides the first complete translation into English of the fifteenth-century Icelandic romance Sigrgarðs saga frækna [the saga of Sigrgarðr the Valiant], along with a normalised edition of the earliest manuscripts based on that of Agnete Loth. The introduction shows that the saga artfully combines material from both the learned tradition of romances and exempla, and from traditional wonder-tales, showing an unusual warmth towards low-status genres and characters. It argues that the setting of the story articulates Icelandic identity by associating it with the otherworldly setting of the heroes’ climactic quest, and studies the constructions of gender implicit in the saga. While clearly heteronormative and potentially patriarchal in its ideological commitments, the saga probes and arguably destabilises the patriarchal culture of late medieval Iceland. RÉSUMÉ: Cet article constitue la première traduction complète en anglais de Sigrgarðs saga frækna [la saga de Sigrgarðr le vaillant], un roman islandais du XVe siècle, avec une édition normalisée sur la base de l’édition par Agnete Loth des plus anciens manuscrits. Notre introduction indique que la saga combine adroitement la matière de la tradition savante des romans et celle des exempla, ainsi que des contes traditionnels; elle fait montre d’une chaleur inhabituelle envers les genres et les personnages de statut inférieur. L’introduction suggère aussi que le cadre de la quête finale des héros, qui se dérole dans un autre monde évoquant l’Islande, permet d’articuler une identité islandaise périphérique. Enfin, nous étudions dans cet article les constructions de genre implicites dans le texte : si l’idéologie de la saga est hétéronormative et potentiellement patriarcale, la saga examine néanmoins, et déstabilise sans doute, la culture patriarcale en Islande à la fin du Moyen Âge

The empirical status of implicit emotion regulation in mood and anxiety disorders: A meta-analytic review

Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032725004665?via%3Dihub#s0115 .This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Strategies to successfully regulate negative emotions may be hindered by maladaptive implicit emotion processing tendencies, and while implicit emotion regulation is known to be impaired in many psychiatric disorders, contradictory findings exist within the empirical literature. Therefore, a meta-analysis of implicit emotion regulation in mood and anxiety disorders (major depressive disorder [MDD], bipolar disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) was performed. Systematic literature searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and BrainMap for articles published between 2011 and 2024, and inclusion criteria included internationally recognised diagnostic measures (i.e., DSM-5). A total of 23 clinical studies were identified and using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, 21 studies were of excellent quality. Small to medium effect sizes were reported in patients across measures of accuracy (patients [n = 428] vs. controls [n = 412], standardised mean difference [SMD] -0.39, 95 % CI [−0.57 to −0.21], p < .0001) and response latency (patients [n = 477] vs. controls [n = 428], SMD 0.38, 95 % CI [0.22 to 0.54], p < .0001). The pooled effects of reduced accuracy and longer reaction times in patients were confirmed by separate sub-group analyses for mood and anxiety disorders, with MDD and PTSD reporting the largest effects. Regarding publication bias, Egger's regression test did not indicate funnel plot asymmetry. Recommendations for future research include investigation of dysfunctional implicit emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic characteristic of psychiatric disorders within the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework.This research was done as part of a PhD thesis and did not receive any specific funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Stefan Daniel Paul Dalton is supported by the Brunel University London, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences Doctoral Research Fund and no other financial support was received during the research and/or the preparation of the manuscript

Neural correlates of implicit emotion regulation in mood and anxiety disorders: an fMRI meta-analytic review

Data availability: Raw and generated data, as well as data analysed during this review, are available within this published article and its supplementary materials.Electronic supplementary material is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-03828-5#Sec21 .Maladaptive implicit emotion regulation has been highlighted as a transdiagnostic characteristic of mood and anxiety disorders. Whilst clinical diagnosis has relied on signs and symptoms, the integration of clinical neurosciences is becoming more important as a means of enhancing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Thus, activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis was conducted for whole-brain foci comparing implicit emotion regulation in a large sample of patients with mood and anxiety disorders and healthy controls. Twenty-four clinical studies were identified based on established criteria (e.g., DSM-5). ALE meta-analysis reported convergence of hypoactivation in patients (n = 432) in the right medial frontal gyrus (BA9), spreading to the right anterior cingulate gyrus (BA32); and in the left middle temporal gyrus (BA21), spreading to the left superior temporal gyrus (BA22). Convergence of hyperactivation was reported in patients (n = 536) in the left medial frontal gyrus (BA9), spreading to the left superior frontal gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus. Separate analysis of the mood disorders subgroup further highlighted convergence of hyperactivation in the insula and claustrum. The implications of the current findings are discussed within the context of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework of developing diagnostic systems that are more predictive of treatment outcomes.This research was done as part of a PhD thesis and did not receive any specific funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Stefan Daniel Paul Dalton is supported by the Brunel University London, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences Doctoral Research Fund and no other financial support was received during the research and/or the preparation of the manuscript

Weighing the ocean with bottom-pressure sensors: robustness of the ocean mass annual cycle estimate

Abstract. We use ocean bottom pressure measurements from 17 tropical sites to determine the annual cycle of ocean mass. We show that such a calculation is robust, and use three methods to estimate errors in the mass determination. Our final best estimate, using data from the best sites and two ocean models, is that the annual cycle has an amplitude of 0.85 mbar (equivalent to 8.4 mm of sea level, or 3100 Gt of water), with a 95% chance of lying within the range 0.61–1.17 mbar. The time of the peak in ocean mass is 10 October, with 95% chance of occuring between 21 September and 25 October. The simultaneous fitting of annual ocean mass also improves the fitting of bottom pressure instrument drift. </jats:p

Informal rental housing in Colombia: an essential option for low-income households

Around the world, rental housing is frequently seen as secondary to home ownership; yet it plays a crucial role in many countries. In particular, rental housing in urban informal neighbourhoods has a critical but consistently overlooked role in housing the most vulnerable households in the Global South. If better policy and practice are to be pursued, there is a need for improved data on rental housing in urban informal settlements, and in particular, better understanding of ‘the lived experiences of the poor’. This paper responds to these empirical gaps in debates on informality and rental housing with qualitative research on residents’ experiences of informal rented housing in two Colombian cities, Bogotá and Cali. The paper frames informal rental housing as an essential option for diverse low-income households for whom ownership is not accessible or attractive. In this way, it also contributes to policy and theoretical debates calling for a better understanding of the dynamics, possibilities and potential of informal housing

Bacterial genotoxins induce T cell senescence

Several types of pathogenic bacteria produce genotoxins that induce DNA damage in host cells. Accumulating evidence suggests that a central function of these genotoxins is to dysregulate the host's immune response, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of the most widely expressed bacterial genotoxin, the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), on T cells—the key mediators of adaptive immunity. We show that CDT induces premature senescence in activated CD4 T cells in vitro and provide evidence suggesting that infection with genotoxin-producing bacteria promotes T cell senescence in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrate that genotoxin-induced senescent CD4 T cells assume a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) which, at least partly, is orchestrated by the ATM-p38 signaling axis. These findings provide insight into the immunomodulatory properties of bacterial genotoxins and uncover a putative link between bacterial infections and T cell senescence