The COBLAMED satellite buoy experiment: A measure of small scale horizontal variability in the upper layer

A satellite buoy experiment, which was conducted during COBLAMED in the Western Mediterranean, consisted of a thermistor buoy tethered to an identical moored buoy in a mean current at separation distances of 100 and 400 m in order to observe the dependence of small scale variability upon internal waves and advection and to register time and depth variability of horizontal coherence. The two 18-hour records showed distinct warm and cold pulses which traversed the separations with the mean current and preserved their shapes...

Transposon-mediated Chromsomal Integration of Transgenes in the Parasitic Nematode STrongyloids ratti and Establsihment of Stable Transgenic Lines

Genetic transformation is a potential tool for analyzing gene function and thereby identifying new drug and vaccine targets in parasitic nematodes, which adversely affect more than one billion people. We have previously developed a robust system for transgenesis in Strongyloides spp. using gonadal microinjection for gene transfer. In this system, transgenes are expressed in promoter-regulated fashion in the F1 but are silenced in subsequent generations, presumably because of their location in repetitive episomal arrays. To counteract this silencing, we explored transposon-mediated chromosomal integration of transgenes in S. ratti. To this end, we constructed a donor vector encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the Ss-act-2 promoter with flanking inverted tandem repeats specific for the piggyBac transposon. In three experiments, free-living Strongyloides ratti females were transformed with this donor vector and a helper plasmid encoding the piggyBac transposase. A mean of 7.9% of F1 larvae were GFP-positive. We inoculated rats with GFP-positive F1 infective larvae, and 0.5% of 6014 F2 individuals resulting from this host passage were GFP-positive. We cultured GFP-positive F2 individuals to produce GFP-positive F3 L3i for additional rounds of host and culture passage. Mean GFP expression frequencies in subsequent generations were 15.6% in the F3, 99.0% in the F4, 82.4% in the F5 and 98.7% in the F6. The resulting transgenic lines now have virtually uniform GFP expression among all progeny after at least 10 generations of passage. Chromosomal integration of the reporter transgenes was confirmed by Southern blotting and splinkerette PCR, which revealed the transgene flanked by S. ratti genomic sequences corresponding to five discrete integration sites. BLAST searches of flanking sequences against the S. ratti genome revealed integrations in five contigs. This result provides the basis for two powerful functional genomic tools in S. ratti: heritable transgenesis and insertional mutagenesis

Independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: a study of impacts, effects, coping mechanisms and effective support systems for people working as ISVAs and ISVA Managers

This study is the first of its kind in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and was carried out to gather information about the impact of working as Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) or ISVA Managers. The ISVA role is relatively new, and as such, little is known about this difficult and emotionally charged work. Although some literature looks at the impact of working in the sexual violence field, there is little from England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and even less focused on the direct, ongoing, face-to-face work ISVAs do. This report focuses on the impacts, effects, coping mechanisms and effective support systems for people working as ISVAs and ISVA Managers in supporting victim-survivors of sexual violence across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since its introduction in 2005, the ISVA role has been invaluable in providing continuous support to victim-survivors of sexual violence and working to meet their emotional and practical needs during the criminal justice process. As conviction rates are at an all-time low, ISVAs can also provide support to people who may otherwise feel let down by the Criminal Justice System. ISVAs can also support people who do not want to report the crime to the police – helping people at, potentially, the lowest point of their life. This survey focused on providing an overview of the ISVA role (e.g. context they work in, caseloads, supervision and support available) and determining which factors predict the likelihood of experiencing negative and positive impacts as a result of the work they do

Level density of 56^{56}Fe and low-energy enhancement of γ\gamma-strength function

The $^{55}$Mn$(d,n)^{56}$Fe differential cross section is measured at $E_d=7$ MeV\@. The $^{56}$Fe level density obtained from neutron evaporation spectra is compared to the level density extracted from the $^{57}$Fe$(^3$He,$\alpha\gamma)^{56}$Fe reaction by the Oslo-type technique. Good agreement is found between the level densities determined by the two methods. With the level density function obtained from the neutron evaporation spectra, the $^{56}$Fe $\gamma$-strength function is also determined from the first-generation $\gamma$ matrix of the Oslo experiment. The good agreement between the past and present results for the $\gamma$-strength function supports the validity of both methods and is consistent with the low-energy enhancement of the $\gamma$ strength below $\sim 4$ MeV first discovered by the Oslo method in iron and molybdenum isotopes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the dwarf galaxy IC 10

Infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope archive are used to study the dust component of the interstellar medium in the IC~10 irregular galaxy. Dust distribution in the galaxy is compared to the distributions of H$\alpha$ and [SII] emission, neutral hydrogen and CO clouds, and ionizing radiation sources. The distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the galaxy is shown to be highly non-uniform with the mass fraction of these particles in the total dust mass reaching 4%. PAHs tend to avoid bright HII regions and correlate well with atomic and molecular gas. This pattern suggests that PAHs form in the dense interstellar gas. We propose that the significant decrease of the PAH abundance at low metallicity is observed not only globally (at the level of entire galaxies), but also locally (at least, at the level of individual HII regions). We compare the distribution of the PAH mass fraction to the distribution of high-velocity features, that we have detected earlier in wings of H$\alpha$ and SII lines, over the entire available galaxy area. No conclusive evidence for shock destruction of PAHs in the IC~10 galaxy could be found.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy Report

Transnational social capital: the socio‐spatialities of civil society

Civil society remains a contested concept, but one that is widely embedded in global development processes. Transnationalism within civil society scholarship is often described dichotomously, either through hierarchical dependency relations or as a more amorphous networked global civil society. These two contrasting spatial imaginaries produce very particular ideas about how transnational relations contribute to civil society. Drawing on empirical material from research with civil society organizations in Barbados and Grenada, in this article I contend that civil society groups use forms of transnational social capital in their work. This does not, however, resonate with the horizontal relations associated with grassroots globalization or vertical chains of dependence. These social relations are imbued with power and agency and are entangled in situated historical, geographical and personal contexts. I conclude that the diverse transnational social relations that are part of civil society activity offer hope and possibilities for continued civil society action in these unexpected spatial arrangements

Restless legs syndrome: causes and consequences

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) of a severity requiring medical attention has a prevalence of 2–3% in Caucasian populations. This significant cause of neurological morbidity is defined by an insistent urge to move the legs, and is often accompanied by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations deep in the legs themselves. Symptoms typically begin or worsen at rest, especially in the evening and night, and are often relieved by activities such as rubbing, stretching, or walking. There is a family history of RLS in approximately 50% of cases, suggesting genetic risk factors, and significant associations have been shown with low serum ferritin, uraemia, and pregnancy. In addition, individuals with various chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord disease, and neuropathy have been shown to have an increased risk of RLS although proving cause-and-effect is difficult. People with RLS have impaired sleep, often associated with periodic limb movements, and increased risk of depression and anxiety, all of which combine to reduce quality of life. Treatment of RLS involves lifestyle changes, such as increased exercise, and management of chronic comorbidities. Reversible causes such as low serum ferritin should be corrected. Effective medications include dopamine agonists (pramipexole or ropinirole), α2δ agonists (gabapentin or pregabalin), or opioids. RLS symptoms can paradoxically worsen with extended use of dopamine agonists (‘augmentation’) leading to a difficult clinical situation where dopamine agonist withdrawal is required, often with opioid cover

Stepwise Hydrogen Atom and Proton Transfers in Dioxygen Reduction by Aryl-Alcohol Oxidase

The mechanism of dioxygen reduction by the flavoenzyme aryl-alcohol oxidase was investigated with kinetic isotope, viscosity, and pL (pH/pD) effects in rapid kinetics experiments by stopped-flow spectrophotometry of the oxidative half-reaction of the enzyme. Double mixing of the enzyme in a stopped-flow spectrophotometer with [a-2H2]-p-methoxybenzyl alcohol and oxygen at varying aging times established a slow rate constant of 0.0023 s-1 for the wash-out of the D atom from the N5 atom of the reduced flavin. Thus, the deuterated substrate could be used to probe the cleavage of the N-H bond of the reduced flavin in the oxidative half-reaction. A significant and pH-independent substrate kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 1.5 between pH 5.0 and 8.0 demonstrated that H transfer is partially limiting the oxidative half-reaction of the enzyme; a negligible solvent KIE of 1.0 between pD 5.0 and 8.0 proved a fast H+ transfer reaction that does not contribute to determining the flavin oxidation rates. Thus, a mechanism for dioxygen reduction in which the H atom originating from the reduced flavin and a H+ from a solvent exchangeable site are transferred in separate kinetic steps is proposed. The spectroscopic and kinetic data presented also showed a lack of stabilization of transient flavin intermediates. The substantial differences in the mechanistic details of O2 reduction by aryl-alcohol oxidase with respect to other alcohol oxidases like choline oxidase, pyranose 2-oxidase, and glucose oxidase further demonstrate the high level of versatility of the flavin cofactor in flavoenzymes