Dating of non-oak species in the United Kingdom historical buildings archive using stable oxygen isotopes

Stable oxygen isotope dendrochronology is an effective precision-dating method for fast grown, invariant (complacent) tree-rings and for trees growing in moist, temperate climatic regions where growth may not be strongly controlled by climate. The method works because trees preserve a strong common isotopic signal, from summer precipitation, and therefore do not need to be physiologically stressed to record a dating signal. This study explores the working hypothesis that whilst tree species may differ in their eco-physiology, leaf morphology and wood anatomy they will record an isotopic signal in their growth rings that is sufficiently similar to enable their precise dating against isotopic reference chronologies developed using dated oak tree rings from the same region. Modern and historical samples from six species (sweet chestnut, English elm, ash, alder, European beech and black poplar) were analysed and their oxygen isotopic variability was compared against an oak master chronology previously developed for central southern England. Whilst differences in the relative strength of the agreement between the different species and the master chronology are apparent, the potential for interspecies dating is demonstrated convincingly. The ability to date non-oak species using stable oxygen isotopes opens-up new opportunities for science-based archaeology and will improve understanding of a largely-unexplored, but significant part of the European historical buildings archive

Toward Reliable and Energy Efficient Wireless Sensing for Space and Extreme Environments

Reliability is the critical challenge of wireless sensing in space systems operating in extreme environments. Energy efficiency is another concern for battery powered wireless sensors. Considering the physics of wireless communications, we propose an approach called Software-Defined Wireless Communications (SDC) that dynamically decide a reliable channel(s) avoiding unnecessary redundancy of channels, out of multiple distinct electromagnetic frequency bands such as radio and infrared frequencies.We validate the concept with Android and Raspberry Pi sensors and pseudo extreme experiments. SDC can be utilized in many areas beyond space applications

What are the ‘active ingredients’ of interventions targeting the public's engagement with antimicrobial resistance and how might they work?

Objectives. Changing public awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a global public health priority. A systematic review of interventions that targeted public AMR awareness and associated behaviour was previously conducted. Here, we focus on identifying the active content of these interventions and explore potential mechanisms of action. Methods. The project took a novel approach to intervention mapping utilizing the following steps: (1) an exploration of explicit and tacit theory and theoretical constructs within the interventions using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDFv2), (2) retrospective coding of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) using the BCT Taxonomy v1, and (3) an investigation of coherent links between the TDF domains and BCTs across the interventions. Results. Of 20 studies included, only four reported an explicit theoretical basis to their intervention. However, TDF analysis revealed that nine of the 14 TDF domains were utilized, most commonly ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Environmental context and resources’. The BCT analysis showed that all interventions contained at least one BCT, and 14 of 93 (15%) BCTs were coded, most commonly ‘Information about health consequences’, ‘Credible source’, and ‘Instruction on how to perform the behaviour’. Conclusions. We identified nine relevant TDF domains and 14 BCTs used in these interventions. Only 15% of BCTs have been applied in AMR interventions thus providing a clear opportunity for the development of novel interventions in this context. This methodological approach provides a useful way of retrospectively mapping theoretical constructs and BCTs when reviewing studies that provide limited information on theory and intervention content

In vitro discrimination of wound-associated bacteria by volatile compound profiling using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry

© 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology Aims: To determine if bacterial species responsible for clinically relevant wound infection produce specific volatile profiles that would allow their speciation. Methods and Results: Selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) in full mass scan mode was used to analyse headspace gases produced by wound-associated bacteria grown invitro, so as to enable identification of bacterial volatile product ion profiles in the resulting mass spectra. Applying multivariate statistical analysis (hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis) to the resultant mass spectra enabled clear speciation. Moreover, bacterial volatile product ions could be detected from artificially contaminated wound dressing material, although the pattern of product ions detected was influenced by culture conditions. Conclusions: Using selected product ions from the SIFT-MS mass spectra it is possible to discriminate wound-associated bacterial species grown under specific invitro culture conditions. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of this study have shown that wound-associated bacteria can be discriminated using volatile analysis invitro and that bacterial volatiles can be detected from wound dressing material. This indicates that volatile analysis of wounds or dressing material to identify infecting microbes has potential and warrants further study

Chlorophyll can be reduced in crop canopies with little penalty to photosynthesis

The hypothesis that reducing chlorophyll content (Chl) can increase canopy photosynthesis in soybeans was tested using an advanced model of canopy photosynthesis. The relationship between leaf Chl, leaf optical properties, and photosynthetic biochemical capacity were measured in 67 soybean accessions showing large variation in leaf Chl. These relationships were integrated into a biophysical model of canopy-scale photosynthesis to simulate the intercanopy light environment and carbon assimilation capacity of canopies with WT, a Chl-deficient mutant (Y11y11), and 67 other mutants spanning the extremes of Chl to quantify the impact of variation in leaf-level Chl on canopy-scale photosynthetic assimilation and identify possible opportunities for improving canopy photosynthesis through Chl reduction. These simulations demonstrate that canopy photosynthesis should not increase with Chl reduction due to increases in leaf reflectance and non-optimal distribution of canopy nitrogen. However, similar rates of canopy photosynthesis can be maintained with a 9% savings in leaf nitrogen resulting from decreased Chl. Additionally, analysis of these simulations indicate that the inability of Chl reductions to increase photosynthesis arises primarily from the connection between Chl and leaf reflectance and secondarily from the mismatch between the vertical distribution of leaf nitrogen and the light absorption profile. These simulations suggest that future work should explore the possibility of using reduced Chl to improve canopy performance by adapting the distribution of the saved nitrogen within the canopy to take greater advantage of the more deeply penetrating light

The Immediate Effect of Therapeutic Touch and Deep Touch Pressure on Range of Motion, Interoceptive Accuracy and Heart Rate Variability: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Moderation Analysis

Тема работы актуальна. В ВКР представлен комплекс упражнений, позволяющий закрепить знания обучающихся о значении фразеологизмов, обогатить их словарь, а также развивать умение работать с фразеологическим словарем. Работа имеет практическую значимость

Spatio‐Temporal Variations in Carbon Isotope Discrimination Predicted by the JULES Land Surface Model

Stable carbon isotopes in plants can help evaluate and improve the representation of carbon and water cycles in land-surface models, increasing confidence in projections of vegetation response to climate change. Here, we evaluated the predictive skills of the Joint UK Land Environmental Simulator (JULES) to capture spatio-temporal variations in carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) reconstructed by tree rings at twelve sites in the United Kingdom over the period 1979-2016. Modelled and measured Δ13C time series were compared at each site and their relationships with local climate investigated. Modelled Δ13C time series were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with tree-ring Δ13C at eight sites, but JULES underestimated mean Δ13C values at all sites, by up to 2.6‰. Differences in mean Δ13C may result from post-photosynthetic isotopic fractionations that were not considered in JULES. Inter-annual variability in Δ13C was also underestimated by JULES at all sites. While modelled Δ13C typically increased over time across the UK, tree-ring Δ13C values increased only at five sites located in the northern regions but decreased at the southern-most sites. Considering all sites together, JULES captured the overall influence of environmental drivers on Δ13C but failed to capture the direction of change in Δ13C caused by air temperature, atmospheric CO2 and vapour pressure deficit at some sites. Results indicate that the representation of carbon-water coupling in JULES could be improved to reproduce both the trend and magnitude of interannual variability in isotopic records, the influence of local climate on Δ13C, and to reduce uncertainties in predicting vegetation-environment interactions