549 research outputs found

    You Have My Word Confronting Critical Questions Involving Journalists’ Promises and Confidential Sources

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    Journalists’ reliance on confidential sources for their articles is a lynchpin of journalistic practice. If journalists are unable to provide certain sources anonymity, ‘it is likely that critical information benefiting the public will not be passed on’ (Wade, 2014, p. 555). Public debate is thereby damaged as it ‘hides corruption, it undermines accountability and it fundamentally undermines the capacity for society to provide a safer, nurturing environment in which citizens can participate’ (ibid.). This article focuses on three important aspects of journalist source confidentiality: journalists’ authority to give confidentiality undertakings; the entry into such undertakings; and the types of sources, including the related question of who instigates such undertakings. This study draws on the results of an Australian survey conducted in 2014

    Extent of the Ross Orogen in Antarctica: new data from DSDP 270 and Iselin Bank

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    The Ross Sea is bordered by the Late Precambrian–Cambrian Ross–Delamerian Orogen of East Antarctica and the more Pacific-ward Ordovician–Silurian Lachlan–Tuhua–Robertson Bay–Swanson Orogen. A calcsilicate gneiss from Deep Sea Drilling Project 270 drill hole in the central Ross Sea, Antarctica, gives a U-Pb titanite age of 437 ± 6 Ma (2σ). This age of high-grade metamorphism is too young for typical Ross Orogen. Based on this age, and on lithology, we propose a provisional correlation with the Early Palaeozoic Lachlan–Tuhua–Robertson Bay–Swanson Orogen, and possibly the Bowers Terrane of northern Victoria Land. A metamorphosed porphyritic rhyolite dredged from the Iselin Bank, northern Ross Sea, gives a U-Pb zircon age of 545 ± 32 Ma (2σ). The U-Pb age, petrochemistry, Ar-Ar K-feldspar dating, and Sr and Nd isotopic ratios indicate a correlation with Late Proterozoic–Cambrian igneous protoliths of the Ross Orogen. If the Iselin Bank rhyolite is not ice-rafted debris, then it represents a further intriguing occurrence of Ross basement found outside the main Ross–Delamerian Orogen

    Suitability of aircraft wastewater for pathogen detection and public health surveillance

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    International air travel is now widely recognised as one of the primary mechanisms responsible for the transnational movement and global spread of SARS-CoV-2. Monitoring the viral load and novel lineages within human-derived wastewater collected from aircraft and at air transport hubs has been proposed as an effective way to monitor the importation frequency of viral pathogens. The success of this approach, however, is highly dependent on the bathroom and defecation habits of air passengers during their journey. In this study of UK adults (n = 2103), we quantified the likelihood of defecation prior to departure, on the aircraft and upon arrival on both short- and long-haul flights. The results were then used to assess the likelihood of capturing the signal from infected individuals at UK travel hubs. To obtain a representative cross-section of the population, the survey was stratified by geographical region, gender, age, parenting status, and social class. We found that an individual's likelihood to defecate on short-haul flights ( 6 h in duration). This behaviour pattern was higher among males and younger age groups. The maximum likelihood of defecation was prior to departure (< 39 %). Based on known SARS-CoV-2 faecal shedding rates (30–60 %) and an equal probability of infected individuals being on short- (71 % of inbound flights) and long-haul flights (29 %), we estimate that aircraft wastewater is likely to capture ca. 8–14 % of SARS-CoV-2 cases entering the UK. Monte Carlo simulations predicted that SARS-CoV-2 would be present in wastewater on 14 % of short-haul flights and 62 % of long-haul flights under current pandemic conditions. We conclude that aircraft wastewater alone is insufficient to effectively monitor all the transboundary entries of faecal-borne pathogens but can form part of a wider strategy for public heath surveillance at national borders

    Sensitivity to velocity- and disparity based cues to motion-in-depth with and without spared stereopsis in binocular visual impairment

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    YesPurpose: Two binocular sources of information serve motion-in-depth (MID) perception: changes in disparity over time (CD), and interocular velocity differences (IOVD). While CD requires the computation of small spatial disparities, IOVD could be computed from a much lower-resolution signal. IOVD signals therefore might still be available under conditions of binocular vision impairment (BVI) with limited or no stereopsis, e.g. amblyopia. Methods: Sensitivity to CD and IOVD was measured in adults who had undergone therapy to correct optical misalignment or amblyopia in childhood (n=16), as well as normal vision controls with good stereoacuity (n=8). Observers discriminated the interval containing a smoothly-oscillating MID “test” stimulus from a “control” stimulus in a two-interval forced choice (2IFC) paradigm. Results: Of the BVI observers with no static stereoacuity (n=9), one displayed evidence for sensitivity to IOVD only, while there was otherwise no sensitivity for either CD or IOVD in the group. Generally, BVI observers with measurable stereoacuity (n=7) displayed a pattern resembling the control group: showing a similar sensitivity for both cues. A neutral-density (ND) filter placed in front of the fixing eye in a subset of BVI observers did not improve performance. Conclusions: In one BVI observer there was preserved sensitivity to IOVD but not CD, though overall only those BVI observers with at least gross stereopsis were able to detect disparity-based or velocity-based cues to MID. The results imply that these logically distinct information sources are somehow coupled, and in some cases BVI observers with no stereopsis may still retain sensitivity to IOVD.UK Biotechnology and Biological 498 Sciences Research Council (BBSRC): BB/M002543/1 (Alex R. Wade) BB/M001660/1 (Julie 499 M. Harris) and BB/M001210/1 (Marina Bloj

    Site 1220

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    Site 1220 (10°10.600´N, 142°45.503´W; 5218 meters below sea level (mbsl); Fig. F1) forms a southerly component of the 56-Ma transect drilled during Leg 199. It is situated about midway between the Clipperton and Clarion Fracture Zones in typical abyssal hill topography. On the basis of regional magnetic anomalies, we anticipated basement age at Site 1220 to be equivalent to Chron C25n (~56 Ma; Cande et al., 1989), slightly older than at Site 1219. At the outset of drilling at Site 1220, our estimate for total sediment depth was ~225 meters below seafloor (mbsf) (Fig. F2). Based upon a fixed hotspot model (Gripp and Gordon, 1990, for 0- to 5-Ma Pacific hotspot rotation pole; Engebretson et al., 1985, for older poles), Site 1220 should have been located ~3° south of the equator at 56 Ma and in an equatorial position at 40 Ma. Thus, Site 1220 should have been situated underneath the South Equatorial Current in the early Eocene. A nearby piston core (EW9709-13PC) taken during the site survey cruise recovered &gt;16 m of red clay, with the base of the core dated as middle-early Miocene on the basis of radiolarian biostratigraphy (Lyle, 2000). Site 1220 will be used to study equatorial ocean circulation from the late Paleocene through the late Eocene during the early Cenozoic thermal maximum. Sediment records from this site will help to define the calcite compensation depth (CCD) and lysocline during the Paleocene-Eocene and Eocene-Oligocene transitions. In this and other respects, Site 1220 will act as an interesting analog to Site 1218. Both sites are thought to have been located on the equator at ~40 Ma, but the older crustal age anticipated at Site 1220 dictates a greater paleowater depth than for contemporaneous sediments accumulating at Site 1218

    Site 1216

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    Site 1216 (21°27.16´N, 139°28.79´W; 5152 meters below sea level [mbsl]; Fig. F1) is situated in abyssal hill topography south of the Molokai Fracture Zone and two small associated unnamed parasitic fracture zones (Fig. F2). Based on magnetic lineations, Site 1216 appears to be situated on normal ocean crust formed during the C25r magnetic anomaly (~57 Ma; Atwater and Severinghaus, 1989). Site 1216 was chosen for drilling because it is near the thickest section of lower Eocene sediments along the 56-Ma transect, which was based upon the seismic stratigraphy of seismic reflection data acquired on site survey cruise EW9709 during transits between the proposed drill sites (Lyle et al., this volume; Moore et al., 2002). The Cenozoic history of sedimentation in this region was poorly constrained prior to Leg 199, being largely based on two Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) drill sites (40 and 41) and piston core data (EW9709-3PC) from ~1.5° in latitude to the south. Based on data from these drill sites, we expected the sedimentary sequence at Site 1216 to comprise red clays (a mixture of wind-blown dust and authigenic precipitates) overlying a biogenic sediment section composed of an upper middle Eocene radiolarian ooze and lower carbonate ooze deposited when the site was near the ridge crest in the late Paleocene and early Eocene. The broad paleoceanographic objectives of drilling the sedimentary sequence anticipated at Site 1216 are as follows: (1) to help define the shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone through the Paleogene by following the change in eolian-dust composition and flux through time (red clays) and (2) to help define the latitudinal extent, composition, and mass accumulation of plankton communities in the north equatorial Pacific region thereby constraining ocean circulation patterns and the extent of the equatorial high-productivity belt in the Eocene ocean. Results from Site 1216 will also provide important information to test whether there was significant motion of the Hawaiian hotspot with respect to the Earth's spin axis during the early Cenozoic. At 56 Ma, the backtracked location of Site 1216 based upon a hotspot reference frame (Gripp and Gordon, 1990, for 0- to 5-Ma Pacific hotspot rotation pole; Engebretson et al., 1985, for older poles) is about 9°N, 108°W. If significant hotspot motion or true polar wander occurred since 57 Ma (Petronotis et al., 1994), this drill site could have been much nearer to the equator

    Site 1222

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    Site 1222 (13°48.98´N, 143°53.35´W; 4989 meters below sea level [mbsl]; Fig. F1) forms a south-central component of the 56-Ma transect drilled during Leg 199 and is situated ~2° south of the Clarion Fracture Zone in typical abyssal hill topography. On the basis of regional magnetic anomalies, we anticipated basement age at Site 1222 to be equivalent to Chron C25r or Chron C25n (~56-57 Ma) (Cande et al., 1989), which is slightly older than at Site 1219. At the outset of drilling at Site 1222, our estimate for total sediment thickness was ~115 m (Fig. F2). Based upon a fixed hotspot model (Gripp and Gordon, 1990, for 0- to 5-Ma Pacific hotspot rotation pole; Engebretson et al., 1985, for older poles) Site 1222 should have been located ~1° north of the equator at 56 Ma and ~4°N at 40 Ma. A nearby gravity core (EW9709-17GC), taken during the site survey cruise, recovered &gt;5 m of red clay with a late-middle Miocene age on the basis of radiolarian biostratigraphy (Lyle, 2000). Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 42 located ~4° east of Site 1222, was not drilled to basement but contains a thin sedimentary section (~100 m thick) of upper Oligocene nannofossil ooze through middle Eocene radiolarian nannofossil ooze. In turn, DSDP Site 162 lies ~1° north of DSDP Site 42 and is situated on young crust (49 Ma) that contains ~150 m of clayey radiolarian and nannofossil oozes of early Oligocene-middle Eocene age. Site 1222 will be used to study the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the late Eocene and Oligocene, to sample late Paleocene and early Eocene sediments in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, and to help determine whether or not there has been significant southward movement of the hotspots with respect to the spin axis prior to 40 Ma

    Site 1217

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    Site 1217 (16°52.02´N, 138°06.00´W; 5342 meters below sea level [mbsl]; Fig. F1) is one of seven sites drilled to target upper Paleocene crust along a latitudinal transect during Leg 199 and will be used to investigate paleoceanographic processes in the northern tropical early Eocene Pacific Ocean. Site 1217 is situated ~1° north of the Clarion Fracture Zone on abyssal hill topography typical of the central Pacific. Based on magnetic lineations, basement age at Site 1217 should be in magnetic Anomaly C25r or ~57 Ma (Cande et al., 1989; timescale of Cande and Kent, 1995). The Cenozoic history of sedimentation in this region was poorly constrained prior to Leg 199 drilling because the nearest drill site (Deep Sea Drilling Project [DSDP] Site 162) is situated ~300 km south and west on 48-Ma crust. Based on data from this early rotary-cored hole, magnetic anomaly maps, a shallow-penetration piston core near Site 1217 (EW9709-4PC), and seismic profiling (Fig. F2), we expected the sedimentary sequence at Site 1217 to comprise a relatively thick (25 to 35 m thick) section of red clays overlying a radiolarian ooze and a basal carbonate section with possible chert near basement (estimated total depth ~125-150 meters below seafloor [mbsf]) deposited when the site was near the ridge crest in the late Paleocene and early Eocene. Site 1217 was chosen because it is anticipated to have been located just outside of the equatorial region at 56 Ma, ~5°N, 106°W based upon a fixed hotspot model (Gripp and Gordon, 1990, for 0- to 5-Ma Pacific hotspot rotation pole; Engebretson et al., 1985, for older poles). On the same basis at 40 Ma, the site was located at ~8°N, 111°W. Thus, Site 1217 should help define the paleoceanography of the northern tropical Pacific, in particular locating the ancient North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) region. General circulation-model experiments for the early Eocene (see Huber, this volume) suggest that the NECC was a well-developed current during this time period. Other paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic objectives of drilling the sedimentary sequence anticipated at Site 1217 are as follows: (1) to help define the shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone through the Paleogene by following the change in eolian dust composition and flux through time (red clays); (2) to help constrain the middle-late Eocene calcite compensation depth (CCD); and (3) to sample the Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) boundary, one of the most climatologically critical intervals of Cenozoic time. Recovery of deep-sea sediments from this time interval during Leg 199 is a high priority because the P/E boundary has never before been sampled in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. Results from Site 1217 will also provide important information to test whether there was significant motion of the Hawaiian hotspot, with respect to the Earth's spin axis during the early Cenozoic. At 56 Ma, the backtracked location based upon a hotspot reference frame is ~5°N, 106°W, and at 40 Ma is ~8°N, 106°W. If significant hotspot motion or true polar wander occurred since 57 Ma (Petronotis et al., 1994), this drill site could have been much nearer to the equator

    Geochemical analysis of bulk marine sediment by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectroscopy on board the JOIDES Resolution

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    Geochemical analyses on board the JOIDES Resolution have been enhanced with the addition of a Jobin-Yvon Ultrace inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) as an upgrade from the previous X-ray fluorescence facility. During Leg 199, we sought to both challenge and utilize the capabilities of the ICP-AES in order to provide an extensive bulk-sediment geochemical database during the cruise. These near real-time analyses were then used to help characterize the recovered sedimentary sequences, calculate mass accumulation rates of the different sedimentary components, and assist with cruise and postcruise sampling requests. The general procedures, sample preparation techniques, and basic protocol for ICP-AES analyses on board ship are outlined by Murray et al. (2000) in Ocean Drilling Program Tech Note, 29. We expand on those concepts and offer suggestions for ICP-AES methodology, calibration by standard reference materials, data reduction procedures, and challenges that are specific to the analysis of bulk-sediment samples. During Leg 199, we employed an extensive bulk-sediment analytical program of ~600 samples of varying lithologies, thereby providing several opportunities for refinement of techniques. We also discuss some difficulties and challenges that were faced and suggest how to alleviate such occurrences for sedimentary chemical analyses during future legs

    Cryogenic characterization of the Planck sorption cooler system flight model

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    This paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-0221 Two continuous closed-cycle hydrogen Joule-Thomson (J-T) sorption coolers have been fabricated and assembled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the European Space Agency (ESA) Planck mission. Each refrigerator has been designed to provide a total of ~ 1W of cooling power at two instrument interfaces: they directly cool the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) around 20K while providing a pre-cooling stage for a 4 K J-T mechanical refrigerator for the High Frequency Instrument (HFI). After sub-system level validation at JPL, the cryocoolers have been delivered to ESA in 2005. In this paper we present the results of the cryogenic qualification and test campaigns of the Nominal Unit on the flight model spacecraft performed at the CSL (Centre Spatial de Liege) facilities in 2008. Test results in terms of input power, cooling power, temperature, and temperature fluctuations over the flight allowable ranges for these interfaces are reported and analyzed with respect to mission requirements.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Instrumentation. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at 10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T1201
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