A study of the time course of fructose-2, 6-bisphosphate production in a septic mouse model.

Where sepsis occurs in the post-surgical period, mortality rates tend to be high. In sepsis, metabolism is grossly disrupted with glucose becoming the preferred fuel for energy provision even where ketogenesis has been promoted

The MOLDY short-range molecular dynamics package

We describe a parallelised version of the MOLDY molecular dynamics program. This Fortran code is aimed at systems which may be described by short-range potentials and specifically those which may be addressed with the embedded atom method. This includes a wide range of transition metals and alloys. MOLDY provides a range of options in terms of the molecular dynamics ensemble used and the boundary conditions which may be applied. A number of standard potentials are provided, and the modular structure of the code allows new potentials to be added easily. The code is parallelised using OpenMP and can therefore be run on shared memory systems, including modern multicore processors. Particular attention is paid to the updates required in the main force loop, where synchronisation is often required in OpenMP implementations of molecular dynamics. We examine the performance of the parallel code in detail and give some examples of applications to realistic problems, including the dynamic compression of copper and carbon migration in an iron-carbon alloy

A discursive approach to narrative accounts of hearing voices and recovery

Substantive objective: To research the range of discursive constructions ‘recovered’ voice hearers employ to describe hearing voices and the implications for positioning and subjectivity (what can be thought and felt) using each construction. Methodological objective and method: To explore a ‘sympathetic’ application of Foucauldian discourse analysis, adapting Willig’s (2008 Willig, C. 2008. Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology, Maidenhead: Open University Press. ) method, analysing two published accounts. Results and conclusions: Heterogeneous discursive constructions for talking about hearing voices were identified, including: ‘many-’selves’’, ‘taking-the-lead-in-your-own-recovery’, ‘voices-as-an-’imagined-world’’ and ‘voices-as-a-coping-strategy-for-dealing-with-trauma’. The discourse of the biomedical model was not prominent, suggesting alternate discursive constructions may create subjects with a greater capacity for ‘living with voices’ and create a subjectivity from which vantage point the experience holds meaning and value and can be integrated into life experiences. This research may have useful clinical applications for mental health services aiming to collaboratively explore service users’ ways of understanding hearing voices

Mechanism for radiation damage resistance in yttrium oxide dispersion strengthened steels

ODS steels based on yttrium oxide have been suggested as potential fusion reactor wall materials due to their observed radiation resistance properties. Presumably this radiation resistance can be related to the interaction of the particle with vacancies,self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) and other radiation damage debris. Density functional theory has been used to investigate this at the atomic scale. Four distinct interfaces, some based on HRTEM observations, between iron and yttrium oxide were investigated. It is been shown that the Y$_2$O$_3$-Fe interface acts as a strong trap with long-range attraction for both interstitial and vacancy defects, allowing recombination without altering the interface structure. The catalytic elimination of defects without change to the microstructure explains the improved behaviour of ODS steels with respect to radiation creep and swelling

Iron and manganese diagenesis in deep sea volcanogenic sediments and the origins of pore water colloids

Volcanogenic sediments are typically rich in Fe and Mn-bearing minerals that undergo substantial alteration during early marine diagenesis, however their impact on the global biogeochemical cycling of Fe and Mn has not been widely addressed. This study compares the near surface (0–20 cm below sea floor [cmbsf]) aqueous (<0.02 ?m) and aqueous + colloidal here in after ‘dissolved’ (<0.2 ?m) pore water Fe and Mn distributions, and ancillary O2(aq), NO-3 and solid-phase reactive Fe distributions, between two volcanogenic sediment settings: [1] a deep sea tephra-rich deposit neighbouring the volcanically active island of Montserrat and [2] mixed biosiliceous–volcanogenic sediments from abyssal depths near the volcanically inactive Crozet Islands archipelago. Shallow penetration of O2(aq) into Montserrat sediments was observed (<1 cmbsf), and inferred to partially reflect oxidation of fine grained Fe(II) minerals, whereas penetration of O2(aq) into abyssal Crozet sediments was >5 cmbsf and largely controlled by the oxidation of organic matter. Dissolved Fe and Mn distributions in Montserrat pore waters were lowest in the surface oxic-layer (0.3 ?M Fe; 32 ?M Mn), with maxima (20 ?M Fe; 200 ?M Mn) in the upper 1–15 cmbsf. Unlike Montserrat, Fe and Mn in Crozet pore waters were ubiquitously partitioned between 0.2 ?m and 0.02 ?m filtrations, indicating that the pore water distributions of Fe and Mn in the (traditionally termed) ‘dissolved’ size fraction are dominated by colloids, with respective mean abundances of 80% and 61%. Plausible mechanisms for the origin and composition of pore water colloids are discussed, and include prolonged exposure of Crozet surface sediments to early diagenesis compared to Montserrat, favouring nano-particulate goethite formation, and the elevated dissolved Si concentrations, which are shown to encourage fine-grained smectite formation. In addition, organic matter may stabilise authigenic Fe and Mn in the Crozet pore waters. We conclude that volcanogenic sediment diagenesis leads to a flux of colloidal material to the overlying bottom water, which may impact significantly on deep ocean biogeochemistry. Diffusive flux estimates from Montserrat suggest that diagenesis within tephra deposits of active island volcanism may also be an important source of dissolved Mn to the bottom waters, and therefore a source for the widespread hydrogenous MnOx deposits found in the Caribbean region