Anthropogenic alluvium: An evidence-based meta-analysis for the UK Holocene

An exploratory meta-analysis of 14C-dated Holocene anthropogenic alluvium (AA) in the UK is presented. AA units were categorized by grain size, catchment area and location, depositional environment, and according to diagnostic criteria linked to recorded types of anthropogenic activity. The oldest AA units date to the Early Bronze Age (c. 4400 cal. BP) and there is an apparent 1500 year lag between the adoption of agriculture (c. 6000 cal. BP) in the UK and any impact on floodplain sedimentation. The earliest influence of farming on UK rivers appears to have been hydrological rather than sedimentological. The mediaeval period was characterized by accelerated sedimentation of fine-grained AA, notably in the smallest catchments. There are some apparent regional differences in the timing of AA formation with earlier prehistoric dates in central and southern parts of the UK

Drawing as an encoding strategy in young children

Objectives: Drawing is an effective mnemonic strategy for adults; research investigating the impact on children's memory is limited. In the current study the effect of drawing and verbal rehearsal on primary school aged children's memory recall was investigated. It was hypothesised that children in the drawing group would recall significantly more than children in the verbal rehearsal group. Design: A 2 x 2 between subjects design was utilised. The independent variables were: mnemonic strategy and age. The dependent variable was recall score. Methods: Children aged 5 to 8 years old were recruited via volunteer sampling (N=28) from one primary school. They were randomly allocated to a draw or verbal rehearsal group. Six target objects were presented sequentially, after each object presentation there was a 60 second rehearsal phase (drawing or verbal). Following a filler task children were asked to verbally recall the target objects. Results: Children in the draw group recalled significantly more objects than children in the verbal rehearsal group. Age did not affect recall scores. Conclusions: Drawing appears to be an effective mnemonic strategy for children. Evidence for picture superiority and depth of processing are discussed alongside the application of drawing to educational activities

Incorporating sedimentological data in UK flood frequency estimation

This study presents a new analytical framework for combining historical flood data derived from sedimentological records with instrumental river flow data to increase the reliability of flood risk assessments. Historical flood records were established for two catchments through re-analysis of sedimentological records; the Nant Cwm-du, a small, steep upland catchment in the Cambrian Mountains of Wales, and a piedmont reach of the River Severn in mid Wales. The proposed framework is based on maximum likelihood and least-square estimation methods in combination with a Generalised Logistic distribution; this enables the sedimentological data to be combined effectively with existing instrumental river flow data. The results from this study are compared to results obtained using existing industry standard methods based solely on instrumental data. The comparison shows that inclusion of sedimentological data can have an important impact on flood risk estimates, and that the methods are sensitive to assumptions made in the conversion of the sedimentological records into flood flow data. As current industry standard methods for flood risk analysis are known to be highly uncertain, the ability to include additional evidence of past flood events derived from sedimentological records as demonstrated in this study can have a significant impact on flood risk assessments

Does knowledge matter? The relationship between awareness of sexual violence and bystander self-efficacy

Sexual violence on campus is an issue of increasing concern and research attention. One strategy that has been utilized to tackle sexual violence is bystander training. Understanding factors that relate to effective bystander intervention are key to the development of appropriate intervention programs. Such interventions are underpinned by the notion that knowledge and awareness of sexual violence is related to bystander self-efficacy, however evidence supporting this relationship is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between knowledge and understanding of sexual violence and bystander self-efficacy. Data were collected from 424 students in the UK. Participants completed measures of readiness to change and bystander self-efficacy as part of a larger campus climate survey. Results highlighted a significant relationship between the different subscales of readiness to change and bystander self-efficacy. The pre-contemplative and action subscales were significantly, but negatively, associated with bystander self-efficacy, whereas the contemplative subscale was significantly, but positively, associated with bystander self-efficacy. The findings of this study highlight how understanding sexual violence and a willingness to act are important factors in explaining bystander self-efficacy. Such findings have important implications for the development and evaluation of bystander intervention programs on campus

Building digital twins of the human immune system: toward a roadmap

Digital twins, customized simulation models pioneered in industry, are beginning to be deployed in medicine and healthcare, with some major successes, for instance in cardiovascular diagnostics and in insulin pump control. Personalized computational models are also assisting in applications ranging from drug development to treatment optimization. More advanced medical digital twins will be essential to making precision medicine a reality. Because the immune system plays an important role in such a wide range of diseases and health conditions, from fighting pathogens to autoimmune disorders, digital twins of the immune system will have an especially high impact. However, their development presents major challenges, stemming from the inherent complexity of the immune system and the difficulty of measuring many aspects of a patient’s immune state in vivo. This perspective outlines a roadmap for meeting these challenges and building a prototype of an immune digital twin. It is structured as a four-stage process that proceeds from a specification of a concrete use case to model constructions, personalization, and continued improvement

Recurring flood distribution patterns related to short-term Holocene climatic variability

Received: 01 July 2015, Accepted: 08 October 2015, Published online: 09 November 2015Millennial- and multi-centennial scale climate variability during the Holocene has been well documented, but its impact on the distribution and timing of extreme river floods has yet to be established. Here we present a meta-analysis of more than 2000 radiometrically dated flood units to reconstruct centennial-scale Holocene flood episodes in Europe and North Africa. Our data analysis shows a general increase in flood frequency after 5000 cal. yr BP consistent with a weakening in zonal circulation over the second half of the Holocene, and with an increase in winter insolation. Multi-centennial length phases of flooding in UK and central Europe correspond with periods of minimum solar irradiance, with a clear trend of increasing flood frequency over the last 1000 years. Western Mediterranean regions show synchrony of flood episodes associated with negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation that are out-of-phase with those evident within the eastern Mediterranean. This long-term flood record reveals complex but geographically highly interconnected climate-flood relationships, and provides a new framework to understand likely future spatial changes of flood frequency.GB was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the research projects CLARIES (CGL2011–29176), and PALEOMED (CGL2014–58127-C3-1-R).Peer reviewe