Scenarios of cycling to school in England, and associated health and carbon impacts: Application of the ‘Propensity to Cycle Tool’

© 2019 The Authors Background: The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) is a freely available, interactive tool help prioritise cycling initially launched in England in 2017 and based on adult commuting data. This paper applies the method to travel to school data, and assesses health and carbon benefits based on nationwide scenarios of cycling uptake. Methods: The 2011 National School Census provides origin-destination data for all state-funded schools in England (N = 7,442,532 children aged 2–18 in 21,443 schools). Using this dataset, we modelled propensity to cycle as a function of route distance and hilliness between home and school. We generated scenarios, including ‘Go Dutch’ – in which English children were as likely to cycle as Dutch children, accounting for trip distance and hilliness. We estimated changes in the level of cycling, walking, and driving, and associated impacts on physical activity and carbon emissions. Results: In 2011, 1.8% of children cycled to school (1.0% in primary school, 2.7% in secondary school). If Dutch levels of cycling were reached, under the Go Dutch scenario, this would rise to 41.0%, a 22-fold increase. This is larger than the 6-fold increase in Go Dutch for adult commuting. This would increase total physical activity among pupils by 57%, and reduce transport-related carbon emissions by 81 kilotonnes/year. These impacts would be substantially larger in secondary schools than primary schools (a 96% vs. 9% increase in physical activity, respectively). Conclusion: Cycling to school is uncommon in England compared with other Northern European countries. Trip distances and hilliness alone cannot explain the difference, suggesting substantial unmet potential. We show that policies resulting in substantial uptake of cycling to school would have important health and environmental benefits. At the level of road networks, the results can inform local investment in safe routes to school to help realise these potential benefits.. JW and AA's contributions were supported by the Centre for Diet and ActivityResearch (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence funded by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer ResearchUK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), andthe Wellcome Trust

Exploitation of bioactive constituents of olive leaves, grape pomace, olive mills waste water and their application in phytoprotection

Pure plants extracts or/and essential oils show antifungal and antibacterial activity against a wide range of fungi and bacteria. Recently there has been increasing interest in the effects of natural compounds against important plant pathogens (fungi and bacteria). Although the antimicrobial activity of oleuropein, grape pomace (GPE) and olive mills waste water (OMWW) extracts have been studied widely, little research has been done on the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of these extracts efficiency against important plant diseases and postharvest treatments. The overall objectives of this study were firstly to extract and isolate from olive leaves (oleuropein), olive mills waste water and from grape pomace (winery by-products) natural compounds in order to be used for in vitro and in vivo experiments. In particular, all three natural extracts were found to restrain in vitro growth of a series of important bacterial and fungal pathogens, such as: Botrytis cinerea, the cause of grey mold disease, Alternaria alternata, causing leaf spots and moulds on several plant species, Fusarium oxysporum fsp melonis, causing Fusarium wilt of melon, a Rhizopus species (a genus causing fruit and vegetable decays), the crucifer pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum, causing anthracnose leaf spot disease on several Brassica and Raphanus species and Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae, the causal agent of the black shank disease of tobacco. Bacterial strains including Clavibacter michiganensis spp. michiganensis, the cause of bacterial canker of tomato, Ralstonia solanacearum causing bacterial wilt in solanaceous plants, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, the cause of bacterial speck on tomato and Arabidopsis and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria causing the bacterial spot disease of pepper and tomato were tested. Oleuropein (semipure and pure) showed remarkable antibacterial activity. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), at least of oleuropein was lower than 0.1%. MICs values for GPE and OMWW extract ranged from 0.1% to 0.2%. Moreover, these natural extracts were shown to inhibit and/or restrain spore germination of fungi in solid media, however grape pomace extract, was sufficiently effective to inhibit spore germination and germ tube of C. higginsianum and B. cinerea. Furthermore in vivo antibacterial activity of pure oleuropein and OMWW extract was assessed in greenhouse experiments, on Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, the cause of bacterial spot of pepper plants and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, the cause of bacterial speck of tomato plants, respectively. It seems that 0.1% pure oleuropein (98%) and 0.1% OMWW extract had a protective effect against bacterial spot and bacterial speck respectively, which is more obvious when oleuropein application started before infection. Besides endophytic growth of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae, causal agent of the black shank disease of tobacco, on tobacco leaves by measuring its radial growth inside the infected tissue, was assessed. 0.1% GPE showed the most significant inhibition in all tobacco leaves treatments. The potential of postharvest treatment of table grapes with the grape pomace extract (GPE) to restrain grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) disease incidence and development was estimated. 5% GPE treatments produced the strongest inhibitory effect against B. cinerea incidence on grape berries and the time after treatment influenced the numbers of decayed berries. Finally the use of pure oleuropein as antibacterial in vase solution for cut flowers (carnation) was evaluated. Oleuropein showed strong antibacterial activity as vase solution and carnations vase life was more than doubled by using oleuropein 200ppm and 400ppm, compared with control (water).EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Community governance or corporate governance? Two models for primary care provision in England

This article discusses two models of primary care provision in England: a now-dominant corporate-led approach and a voluntary-led approach. Recent case study data are used to identify the differing implications of these contrasting ways of organizing care. The two approaches are examined with reference to claims that neoliberal welfare is characterized by a parallel shift from 'passive' to 'active' welfare, or from the citizen as recipient to the citizen as participant. In this analysis, the individualized, privatized self is encouraged by – and supports – a privatized welfare regime. By contrast, this paper finds that the increasingly hegemonic corporate-led model of welfare can actually inhibit the development of service users into active citizens. Instead, a voluntary-led model may be more flexible and more likely to promote welfare systems with citizen participation. However, the corporate-led model is increasingly favoured by the UK government, which is keen to include such firms in service planning as well as service provision. This creates a disjuncture between economics and governance that causes rhetorical and practical problems for neoliberal welfare regimes

Three dimensional tracking of exploratory behavior of barnacle cyprids using stereoscopy

Surface exploration is a key step in the colonization of surfaces by sessile marine biofoulers. As many biofouling organisms can delay settlement until a suitable surface is encountered, colonization can comprise surface exploration and intermittent swimming. As such, the process is best followed in three dimensions. Here we present a low-cost transportable stereoscopic system consisting of two consumer camcorders. We apply this novel apparatus to behavioral analysis of barnacle larvae (? 800 lm length) during surface exploration and extract and analyze the three-dimensional patterns of movement. The resolution of the system and the accuracy of position determination are characterized. As a first practical result, three-dimensional swimming trajectories of the cypris larva of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides are recorded in the vicinity of a glass surface and close to PEG2000-OH and C11NMe3 +Cl- terminated self-assembled monolayers. Although less frequently used in biofouling experiments due to its short reproductive season, the selected model species [Marechal and Hellio (2011), Int Biodeterior Biodegrad, 65(1):92-101] has been used following a number of recent investigations on the settlement behavior on chemically different surfaces [Aldred et al. (2011), ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 3(6):2085-2091]. Experiments were scheduled to match the availability of cyprids off the north east coast of England so that natural material could be used. In order to demonstrate the biological applicability of the system, analysis of parameters such as swimming direction, swimming velocity and swimming angle are performed.DFG/Ro 2524/2-2DFG/Ro 2497/7-2ONR/N00014-08-1-1116ONR/N00014-12-1-0498EC/FP7/2007-2013/23799

Ethical and political issues in contemporary research relationships

This article discusses how ethical and political issues affect contemporary research relationships. It focuses on the responsibilities of researchers studying organisations and elites, and the discussion draws upon the author’s experience of researching NHS primary health care services. The paper reviews the spread of “ethical guidelines” from medical to social research. Such guidelines primarily address ethical problems relating to individual researcher-researched relationships. Sociologists have criticised the application of medically-based guidelines to social research, while often accepting an ethical framework based on the researcher-researched dyad. But this limited conception of ethical responsibilities leaves complex organisational power hierarchies and their effects under-theorised. Researchers may then be vulnerable and lack guidance where organisational loyalties and market mechanisms have undermined the traditional supports of academic independence and professionalism. Sociologists could learn from critical medical scientists’ responses to some related ethical dilemmas, as some medical researchers have experienced these issues more acutely and for longer

In Vitro Oxidative Crosslinking of Recombinant Barnacle Cyprid Cement Gland Proteins

Barnacle adhesion is a focus for fouling-control technologies as well as the development of bioinspired adhesives, although the mechanisms remain very poorly understood. The barnacle cypris larva is responsible for surface colonisation. Cyprids release cement from paired glands that contain proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, although further compositional details are scant. Several genes coding for cement gland-specific proteins were identified, but only one of these showed database homology. This was a lysyl oxidase-like protein (lcp_LOX). LOX-like enzymes have been previously identified in the proteome of adult barnacle cement secretory tissue. We attempted to produce recombinant LOX in E. coli, in order to identify its role in cyprid cement polymerisation. We also produced two other cement gland proteins (lcp3_36k_3B8 and lcp2_57k_2F5). lcp2_57k_2F5 contained 56 lysine residues and constituted a plausible substrate for LOX. While significant quantities of soluble lcp3_36k_3B8 and lcp2_57k_2F5 were produced in E. coli, production of stably soluble lcp_LOX failed. A commercially sourced human LOX catalysed the crosslinking of lcp2_57k_2F5 into putative dimers and trimers, and this reaction was inhibited by lcp3_36k_3B8. Inhibition of the lcp_LOX:lcp2_57k_2F5 reaction by lcp3_36k_3B8 appeared to be substrate specific, with no inhibitory effect on the oxidation of cadaverine by LOX. The results demonstrate a possible curing mechanism for barnacle cyprid cement and, thus, provide a basis for a more complete understanding of larval adhesion for targeted control of marine biofouling and adhesives for niche applications

De novo unbalanced translocations have a complex history/aetiology

We investigated 52 cases of de novo unbalanced translocations, consisting in a terminally deleted or inverted-duplicated deleted (inv-dup del) 46th chromosome to which the distal portion of another chromosome or its opposite end was transposed. Array CGH, whole-genome sequencing, qPCR, FISH, and trio genotyping were applied. A biparental origin of the deletion and duplication was detected in 6 cases, whereas in 46, both imbalances have the same parental origin. Moreover, the duplicated region was of maternal origin in more than half of the cases, with 25% of them showing two maternal and one paternal haplotype. In all these cases, maternal age was increased. These findings indicate that the primary driver for the occurrence of the de novo unbalanced translocations is a maternal meiotic non-disjunction, followed by partial trisomy rescue of the supernumerary chromosome present in the trisomic zygote. In contrast, asymmetric breakage of a dicentric chromosome, originated either at the meiosis or postzygotically, in which the two resulting chromosomes, one being deleted and the other one inv-dup del, are repaired by telomere capture, appears at the basis of all inv-dup del translocations. Notably, this mechanism also fits with the origin of some simple translocations in which the duplicated region was of paternal origin. In all cases, the signature at the translocation junctions was that of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) rather than non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR). Our data imply that there is no risk of recurrence in the following pregnancies for any of the de novo unbalanced translocations we discuss here