Origin of seismic reflectors within carbonate-rich sediments from northeastern Australian margin

Journal ArticleWe use continuous velocity records from 12 sites and continuous density records from 9 sites from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 133 to examine both direct and indirect controls on seismic reflectors and depth-to-time conversion for the northeastern Australian margin. In these carbonate-rich sediments, the character of both velocity and density appears to be responding primarily to porosity variations and indirectly to lithologic or diagenetic variations. However, we find no consistent empirical relationship between velocity and porosity because of intrasite and intersite variations in style of cementation. Impedance, the product of velocity and density, is dominated by porosity change throughout the depth range studied, but the mechanism of this control changes: porosity influence on density is an important impedance control in the top 100 meters below seafloor (mbsf). while porosity influence on velocity is most important to deeper impedance variations. This difference arises from the relative insensitivity of velocity to porosity change at the high porosities of the uppermost 50 to 100 mbsf. Because velocity dominates most impedance variations and because velocity and density are locally well correlated, density can be omitted entirely from the calculation of most ODP synthetic seismograms without adverse effects. Depth-to-lime conversion can be based either on matching a synthetic seismogram to the seismic section or on a plot of two-way time vs. depth. Synthetic seismogram character is sensitive not only to the character of velocity variations caused by changes in porosity and diagenesis, but also to wavelet uncertainties and impedance interference patterns. Plots of two-way time vs. depth for these carbonate-dominated sediments are remarkably similar down to 250 mbsf and moderately predictable down to at least 450 mbsf

The effect of sampling techniques used in the multiconfigurational Ehrenfest method

In this paper, we compare and contrast basis set sampling techniques recently developed for use in the ab initio multiple cloning method, a direct dynamics extension to the multiconfigurational Ehrenfest approach, used recently for the quantum simulation of ultrafast photochemistry. We demonstrate that simultaneous use of basis set cloning and basis function trains can produce results which are converged to the exact quantum result. To demonstrate this, we employ these sampling methods in simulations of quantum dynamics in the spin boson model with a broad range of parameters and compare the results to accurate benchmarks

Maternal parity and its effect on adipose tissue deposition and endocrine sensitivity in the postnatal sheep

Maternal parity influences size at birth, postnatal growth and body composition with firstborn infants being more likely to be smaller with increased fat mass, suggesting that adiposity is set in early life. The precise effect of parity on fat mass and its endocrine sensitivity remains unclear and was, therefore, investigated in the present study. We utilised an established sheep model in which perirenal–abdominal fat mass (the major fat depot in the neonatal sheep) increases ∼10-fold over the first month of life and focussed on the impact of parity on glucocorticoid sensitivity and adipokine expression in the adipocyte. Twin-bearing sheep of similar body weight and adiposity that consumed identical diets were utilised, and maternal blood samples were taken at 130 days of gestation. One offspring from each twin pair was sampled at 1 day of age, coincident with the time of maximal recruitment of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), whilst its sibling was sampled at 1 month, when UCP1 had disappeared. Plasma leptin was lower in nulliparous mothers than in multiparous mothers, and offspring of nulliparous mothers possessed more adipose tissue with increased mRNA abundance of leptin, glucocorticoid receptor and UCP2, adaptations that persisted up to 1 month of age when gene expression for interleukin-6 and adiponectin was also raised. The increase in fat mass associated with firstborn status is therefore accompanied by a resetting of the leptin and glucocorticoid axis within the adipocyte. Our findings emphasise the importance of parity in determining adipose tissue development and that firstborn offspring have an increased capacity for adipogenesis which may be critical in determining later adiposity

Indoor Air Quality and Overheating in UK Classrooms – an Archetype Stock Modelling Approach

Children spend a large part of their waking lives in school buildings. There is substantial evidence that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal discomfort can have detrimental impacts on the performance, wellbeing and health of schoolchildren and staff. Maintaining good IAQ while avoiding overheating in classrooms is challenging due to the unique occupancy patterns and heat properties of schools. Building stock modelling has been extensively used in recent years to quantify and evaluate performance of large numbers of buildings at various scales. This paper builds on an archetype stock modelling approach which represents the diversity of the school stock in England through an analysis of The Property Data Survey Programme (PDSP) and the Display Energy Certificates (DEC) databases. The model was used for simulating Indoor-to-Outdoor pollution ratios to estimate indoor air pollution levels (NO2, PM2.5 and CO2) and thermal comfort (overheating) in two climate areas in England: London and the West Pennines. analysis highlighted variations in classrooms' indoor CO2 levels in different seasons and explored the risk of overheating in relation to a classroom's orientation

The COVID-19 pandemic and children’s engagement with learning in rural Sierra Leone

The COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide educational disruption. This paper addresses a gap in the literature relating to the impact of the pandemic on learning experiences of children in rural communities in the Global South, particularly in earlier years of schooling. Children in these communities are at considerable disadvantage in comparison to their urban peers due to poor school infrastructure and challenges in recruitment and retention of teachers. Drawing on a mixed-methods study of primary school children, their teachers and families in rural Sierra Leone, both during and immediately after school closures, the paper highlights how primary schools and their communities responded to the pandemic and how this influenced children’s engagement with their learning. While national planning focused on pandemic control measures and provision of some remote learning support, findings highlight challenges for poor rural communities in accessing basic learning supports and the consequent disruption to children’s education

Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir Combination Therapy in a Liver Transplant Recipient With Severe Recurrent Cholestatic Hepatitis C

Recurrent HCV infection following liver transplantation can lead to accelerated allograft injury that is difficult to treat with interferon. The aim of this study is to describe the first ever use of an interferon‐free, all oral regimen in a liver transplant recipient with severe recurrent HCV. A 54‐year‐old male with HCV genotype 1b developed severe cholestatic HCV at 6 months posttransplant with ascites, AST 503 IU/mL, alkaline phosphatase of 298 IU/mL, HCV RNA of 12 000 000 IU/mL, and histological cholestasis with pericellular fibrosis. Sofosbuvir, an HCV polymerase inhibitor (400 mg/day), and daclatasvir, an HCV NS5A replication complex inhibitor (60 mg/day), were co‐administered for 24 weeks. Within 4 weeks of initiating treatment, serum HCV RNA levels became undetectable and liver biochemistries normalized with concomitant resolution of ascites. The patient achieved a sustained virological response with undetectable HCV RNA at 9 months posttreatment. During and following treatment, the daily dose and blood level of tacrolimus remained stable and unchanged. The rapid and sustained suppression of HCV replication in this liver transplant recipient provides great promise for the use of combination oral antiviral regimens in other immunosuppressed and interferon refractory HCV patients. A patient with severe cholestatic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection at nine months after liver transplantation was successfully treated with a six‐month course of oral sofosbuvir in combination with daclatasvir and remains HCV RNA negative during posttreatment follow‐up with improved liver biochemistries and health.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98302/1/ajt12209.pd

Investment in sensory structures, testis size, and wing coloration in males of a diurnal moth species: trade-offs or correlated growth?

For dioecious animals, reproductive success typically involves an exchange between the sexes of signals that provide information about mate location and quality. Typically, the elaborate, secondary sexual ornaments of males signal their quality, while females may signal their location and receptivity. In theory, the receptor structures that receive the latter signals may also become elaborate or enlarged in a way that ultimately functions to enhance mating success through improved mate location. The large, elaborate antennae of many male moths are one such sensory structure, and eye size may also be important in diurnal moths. Investment in these traits may be costly, resulting in trade-offs among different traits associated with mate location. For polyandrous species, such trade-offs may also include traits associated with paternity success, such as larger testes. Conversely, we would not expect this to be the case for monandrous species, where sperm competition is unlikely. We investigated these ideas by evaluating the relationship between investment in sensory structures (antennae, eye), testis, and a putative warning signal (orange hindwing patch) in field-caught males of the monandrous diurnal painted apple moth Teia anartoides (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in southeastern Australia. As predicted for a monandrous species, we found no evidence that male moths with larger sensory structures had reduced investment in testis size. However, contrary to expectation, investment in sensory structures was correlated: males with relatively larger antennae also had relatively larger eyes. Intriguingly, also, the size of male orange hindwing patches was positively correlated with testis size

Caffeine exposure induces browning features in adipose tissue in vitro and in vivo

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is able to rapidly generate heat and metabolise macronutrients, such as glucose and lipids, through activation of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Diet can modulate UCP1 function but the capacity of individual nutrients to promote the abundance and activity of UCP1 is not well established. Caffeine consumption has been associated with loss of body weight and increased energy expenditure, but whether it can activate UCP1 is unknown. This study examined the effect of caffeine on BAT thermogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Stem cell-derived adipocytes exposed to caffeine (1 mM) showed increased UCP1 protein abundance and cell metabolism with enhanced oxygen consumption and proton leak. These functional responses were associated with browning-like structural changes in mitochondrial and lipid droplet content. Caffeine also increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha expression and mitochondrial biogenesis, together with a number of BAT selective and beige gene markers. In vivo, drinking coffee (but not water) stimulated the temperature of the supraclavicular region, which co-locates to the main region of BAT in adult humans, and is indicative of thermogenesis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that caffeine can promote BAT function at thermoneutrality and may have the potential to be used therapeutically in adult humans

Comparing the effect of CTG+STan with CTG alone on emergency Cesarean section rate : STan Australian Randomized controlled Trial (START)

The authors would like to thank the women and their babies for participating. We would like to thank all the staff at the WCH, in particular Priya Umampathysivam, Denise Cheetham and Cecilia Heitmann for their assistance in recruitment of participants for START. We would also like to thank the members of the DSMC, Diogo Ayres-de-Campos, Scott Morris and Katherine Lee, for their oversight of START and the Clinical Information Service (CIS) team at the WCH for the comparative hospital dataPeer reviewedPublisher PD