Re-Examining Mortality Sources and Population Trends in a Declining Seabird: Using Bayesian Methods to Incorporate Existing Information and New Data

The population of flesh-footed shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes) breeding on Lord Howe Island was shown to be declining from the 1970’s to the early 2000’s. This was attributed to destruction of breeding habitat and fisheries mortality in the Australian Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery. Recent evidence suggests these impacts have ceased; presumably leading to population recovery. We used Bayesian statistical methods to combine data from the literature with more recent, but incomplete, field data to estimate population parameters and trends. This approach easily accounts for sources of variation and uncertainty while formally incorporating data and variation from different sources into the estimate. There is a 70% probability that the flesh-footed shearwater population on Lord Howe continued to decline during 2003–2009, and a number of possible reasons for this are suggested. During the breeding season, road-based mortality of adults on Lord Howe Island is likely to result in reduced adult survival and there is evidence that breeding success is negatively impacted by marine debris. Interactions with fisheries on flesh-footed shearwater winter grounds should be further investigated

Reference to the index of the J L Reid Library and the Protestant Federation

The J L Reid Memorial Library was administered by the British and Foreign Bible Society until it was taken over by the Scripture Union. Originally The Australian League of Loyalty, Tasmanian Branch, it merged into the Protestant Federation in May 1922. Holds minutes from 1920-1924, also correspondence and membership book

X-ray Computed Tomography for Failure Mechanism Characterisation within Layered Pouch Cells

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) safety is a multi-scale problem: from the whole-cell architecture to its composite internal 3D microstructures. Substantial research is required to standardise failure assessments and optimise cell designs to reduce the risks of LIB failure. In this work, the failure response of a 1 Ah layered pouch cell with a commercially available NMC cathode and graphite anode at 100 % SOC (4.2 V) is investigated. The mechanisms of two abuse methods; mechanical (by nail penetration) and thermal (by accelerating rate calorimetry) are compared by using a suite of post-mortem analysis methods. Post-mortem whole-cell architectural changes and electrode layer deformations were analysed for both mechanisms using non-invasive X-ray computed tomography. Furthermore, changes to electrode surfaces, bulk microstructures and particle morphologies are compared by following a proposed cell disassembly and post-mortem sample preparation methodology. Building on the insights into critical architectural weak points, electrode behaviours and particle cracks, the reliability of X-ray computed tomography as a guide for LIB failure assessment is demonstrated

Up in smoke: Considerations for lithium-ion batteries in disposable e-cigarettes

In recent years, the use of disposable electric (e)-cigarettes containing lithium-ion batteries in the UK has led to remarkable wastage, the full environmental impact of which is yet to be realized. This study investigates the suitability for reuse and safety aspects of cells found in disposable e-cigarettes. Through electrochemical and safety characterization techniques, the cells’ performance and hazards were evaluated. Rate capability and long-term cycling experiments showed that cells sold as disposable were capable of completing 474 cycles at 1C charge/discharge before reaching 80% capacity fade. A nail penetration test revealed significant gas expulsion and a maximum temperature of 495°C. However, the cell format prevented significant material ejection. This work outlines the potential health hazards and highlights the possibility for second-life use of disposable e-cigarette cells, shedding light on the environmental impact and safety considerations

Variation in the gene coding for the M5 Muscarinic receptor (CHRM5) influences cigarette dose but is not associated with dependence to drugs of addiction: evidence from a prospective population based cohort study of young adults

Background: The mesolimbic structures of the brain are important in the anticipation and perception of reward. Moreover, many drugs of addiction elicit their response in these structures. The M5 muscarinic receptor (M5R) is expressed in dopamine-containing neurones of the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area, and regulates the release of mesolimbic dopamine. Mice lacking M5R show a substantial reduction in both reward and withdrawal responses to morphine and cocaine. The CHRM5, the gene that codes for the M5R, is a strong biological candidate for a role in human addiction. We screened the coding and core promoter sequences of CHRM5 using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography to identify common polymorphisms. Additional polymorphisms within the coding and core promoter regions that were identified through dbSNP were validated in the test population. We investigated whether these polymorphisms influence substance dependence and dose in a cohort of 1947 young Australians.Results: Analysis was performed on 815 participants of European ancestry who were interviewed at wave 8 of the cohort study and provided DNA. We observed a 26.8% increase in cigarette consumption in carriers of the rs7162140 T-allele, equating to 20.1 cigarettes per week (p=0.01). Carriers of the rs7162140 T-allele were also found to have nearly a 3-fold increased risk of developing cannabis dependence (OR=2.9 (95%CI 1.1-7.4); p=0.03).Conclusion: Our data suggest that variation within the CHRM5 locus may play an important role in tobacco and cannabis but not alcohol addiction in European ancestry populations. This is the first study to show an association between CHRM5 and substance use in humans. These data support the further investigation of this gene as a risk factor in substance use and dependence.<br /

The effect of the systemic inflammatory response on plasma vitamin 25 (OH) D concentrations adjusted for albumin

&lt;b&gt;Aim&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; To examine the relationship between plasma 25(OH)D, CRP and albumin concentrations in two patient cohorts.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Methods&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 5327 patients referred for nutritional assessment and 117 patients with critical illness were examined. Plasma 25 (OH) D concentrations were measured using standard methods. Intra and between assay imprecision was &#60;10%.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Result&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; In the large cohort, plasma 25 (OH) D was significantly associated with CRP (rs = −0.113, p&#60;0.001) and albumin (rs = 0.192, p&#60;0.001). 3711 patients had CRP concentrations ≤10 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations ≥35, 25–34 and &#60;25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were significantly lower from 35 to 28 to 14 nmol/l (p&#60;0.001). This decrease was significant when albumin concentrations were reduced between 25–34 g/L (p&#60;0.001) and when albumin &#60;25 g/L (p&#60;0.001). 1271 patients had CRP concentrations between 11–80 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations ≥35, 25–34 and &#60;25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were significantly lower from 31 to 24 to 19 nmol/l (p&#60;0.001). This decrease was significant when albumin concentration were 25–34 g/L (p&#60;0.001) and when albumin &#60;25 g/L (p&#60;0.001). 345 patients had CRP concentrations &#62;80 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations ≥35, 25–34 and &#60;25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were not significantly altered varying from 19 to 23 to 23 nmol/l. Similar relationships were also obtained in the cohort of patients with critical illness.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Plasma concentrations of 25(OH) D were independently associated with both CRP and albumin and consistent with the systemic inflammatory response as a major confounding factor in determining vitamin D status.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Relic densities including Sommerfeld enhancements in the MSSM

We have developed a general formalism to compute Sommerfeld enhancement (SE) factors for a multi-state system of fermions, in all possible spin configurations and with generic long-range interactions. We show how to include such SE effects in an accurate calculation of the thermal relic density for WIMP dark matter candidates. We apply the method to the MSSM and perform a numerical study of the relic abundance of neutralinos with arbitrary composition and including the SE due to the exchange of the W and Z bosons, photons and Higgses. We find that the relic density can be suppressed by a factor of a few in a seizable region of the parameter space, mostly for Wino-like neutralino with mass of a few TeV, and up to an order of magnitude close to a resonance.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures; table 1 corrected and rearranged, numerical results practically unchanged, matches published versio

Collagen labelling with an azide-proline chemical reporter in live cells.

We have developed a strategy for selective imaging of collagen in live foetal ovine osteoblasts. Our approach involves the incorporation of an azide-tagged proline in the biosynthesis of collagen followed by labelling using a strain-promoted [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction