Global practitioner assessment and management of mental fatigue and mental recovery in high-performance sport: A need for evidence-based best-practice guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Mental fatigue and mental recovery have gained scientific attention in relation to sporting performance, yet best practice assessment and management methods are lacking. A greater understanding of current knowledge and practices in high-performance sport are necessary. OBJECTIVE: To understand the contemporary knowledge, beliefs, monitoring processes, management strategies, perceived responsibility, sources of evidence, and challenges, when assessing the mental fatigue and mental recovery of athletes in high-performance sport. METHODS: A mixed-methods survey approach obtained information from 156 multi-disciplinary high-performance sport practitioners. Descriptive outputs were reported and potential differences between key concepts were detected using Wilcoxon-signed rank analysis. Thematic analysis interpreted open-text responses. RESULTS: Only 11.5% and 5.1% of respondents indicated they were "very" knowledgeable about mental fatigue and mental recovery, respectively. Knowledge (p < 0.001) and confidence in application (p = 0.001) were significantly greater for mental fatigue than mental recovery. Nearly all respondents perceived mental fatigue and mental recovery impacted training and competition performance, with a greater negative impact during competition (p < 0.001). A limited number of respondents reported deliberate assessment (31.1%) or management (51.2%) of mental fatigue and mental recovery. A combination of sources of evidence were used to inform practice, with common challenges to implementation including staff knowledge, athlete-buy in, time-availability, and a lack of evidence. Practitioners reported that assessing and managing mental fatigue and mental recovery was multi-disciplinary in nature. CONCLUSION: Practitioners reported that mental fatigue and mental recovery did impact performance, yet this was not reflected in the implementation of evidence-based assessment and management practices in high-performance sport.

Phosphotungstic acid (PTA) preferentially binds to collagen- rich regions of porcine carotid arteries and human atherosclerotic plaques observed using contrast enhanced micro-computed tomography (CE-µCT).

Background and aims: Atherosclerotic plaque rupture in the carotid artery can cause small emboli to travel to cerebral arteries, causing blockages and preventing blood flow leading to stroke. Contrast enhanced micro computed tomography (CEµCT) using a novel stain, phosphotungstic acid (PTA) can provide insights into the microstructure of the vessel wall and atherosclerotic plaque, and hence their likelihood to rupture. Furthermore, it has been suggested that collagen content and orientation can be related to mechanical integrity. This study aims to build on existing literature and establish a robust and reproducible staining and imaging technique to non-destructively quantify the collagen content within arteries and plaques as an alternative to routine histology. Methods: Porcine carotid arteries and human atherosclerotic plaques were stained with a concentration of 1% PTA staining solution and imaged using MicroCT to establish the in situ architecture of the tissue and measure collagen content. A histological assessment of the collagen content was also performed from picrosirius red (PSR) staining. Results: PTA stained arterial samples highlight the reproducibility of the PTA staining and MicroCT imaging technique used with a quantitative analysis showing a positive correlation between the collagen content measured from CEµCT and histology. Furthermore, collagen-rich areas can be clearly visualised in both the vessel wall and atherosclerotic plaque. 3D reconstruction was also performed showing that different layers of the vessel wall and various atherosclerotic plaque components can be differentiated using Hounsfield Unit (HU) values. Conclusion: The work presented here is unique as it offers a quantitative method of segmenting the vessel wall into its individual components and non-destructively quantifying the collagen content within these tissues, whilst also delivering a visual representation of the fibrous structure using a single contrast agent.

Microstructural and mechanical insight into atherosclerotic plaques: an ex vivo DTI study to better assess plaque vulnerability.

Non-invasive microstructural characterisation has the potential to determine the stability, or lack thereof, of atherosclerotic plaques and ultimately aid in better assessing plaques' risk to rupture. If linked with mechanical characterisation using a clinically relevant imaging technique, mechanically sensitive rupture risk indicators could be possible. This study aims to provide this link-between a clinically relevant imaging technique and mechanical characterisation within human atherosclerotic plaques. Ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging, mechanical testing, and histological analysis were carried out on human carotid atherosclerotic plaques. DTI-derived tractography was found to yield significant mechanical insight into the mechanical properties of more stable and more vulnerable microstructures. Coupled with insights from digital image correlation and histology, specific failure characteristics of different microstructural arrangements furthered this finding. More circumferentially uniform microstructures failed at higher stresses and strains when compared to samples which had multiple microstructures, like those seen in a plaque cap. The novel findings in this study motivate diagnostic measures which use non-invasive characterisation of the underlying microstructure of plaques to determine their vulnerability to rupture.

Methods to expose subsurface objects of interest identified from 3D imaging: The intermediate sample preparation stage in the correlative microscopy workflow.

The correlative imaging workflow is a method of combining information and data across modes (e.g. SEM, X-ray CT, FIB-SEM), scales (cm to nm) and dimensions (2D-3D-4D), providing a more holistic interpretation of the research question. Often, subsurface objects of interest (e.g. inclusions, pores, cracks, defects in multilayered samples) are identified from initial exploratory nondestructive 3D tomographic imaging (e.g. X-ray CT, XRM), and those objects need to be studied using additional techniques to obtain, for example, 2D chemical or crystallographic data. Consequently, an intermediate sample preparation step needs to be completed, where a targeted amount of sample surface material is removed, exposing and revealing the object of interest. At present, there is not one singular technique for removing varied thicknesses at high resolution and on a range of scales from cm to nm. Here, we review the manual and automated options currently available for targeted sample material removal, with a focus on those methods which are readily accessible in most laboratories. We summarise the approaches for manual grinding and polishing, automated grinding and polishing, microtome/ultramicrotome, and broad-beam ion milling (BBIM), with further review of other more specialist techniques including serial block face electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), and ion milling and laser approaches such as FIB-SEM, Xe plasma FIB-SEM, and femtosecond laser/LaserFIB. We also address factors which may influence the decision on a particular technique, including the composition, shape and size of the samples, sample mounting limitations, the amount of surface material to be removed, the accuracy and/or resolution of peripheral parts, the accuracy and/or resolution of the technique/instrumentation, and other more general factors such as accessibility to instrumentation, costs, and the time taken for experimentation. It is hoped that this study will provide researchers with a range of options for removal of specific amounts of sample surface material to reach subsurface objects of interest in both correlative and non-correlative workflows.

Value transfer in ecosystem accounting applications.

Ecosystem accounting is a statistical framework that aims to track the state of ecosystems and ecosystem services, with periodic updates. This framework follows the statistical standard of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA). SEEA EA is composed of physical ecosystem extent, condition and ecosystem service supply-use accounts and monetary ecosystem service and asset accounts. This paper focuses on the potential use of the "Value Transfer" (VT) valuation method to produce the monetary ecosystem service accounts, taking advantage of experience with rigorous benefit transfer methods that have been developed and tested over many years in environmental economics. Although benefit transfer methods have been developed primarily for welfare analysis, the underlying techniques and advantages are directly applicable to monetary exchange values required for ecosystem accounting. The compilation of regular accounts is about to become a key area of work for the National Statistical Offices worldwide as well as for the EU Member States in particular, due to the anticipated amendment to regulation on European environmental economic accounts introducing ecosystem accounts. On this basis, accounting practitioners have voiced their concerns in a global consultation during SEEA EA revision, about three issues in particular: the lack of resources, the need for guidelines and the challenge of periodically updating the accounts. We argue that VT can facilitate empirical applications that assess ecosystem services in monetary terms, especially at national scales and in situations with limited expertise and resources available. VT is a low-cost valuation approach in line with SEEA EA requirements able to provide periodic, rigorous and consistent estimates for use in accounts. While some methodological challenges remain, it is likely that VT can help to implement SEEA EA at scale and in time to respond to the pressing need to incorporate nature into mainstream decision-making processes.

Characterizing sleep disorders in an autism-specific collection of electronic health records.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Sleep problems are common in people on the autism spectrum. This study reviews one detailed approach to querying the electronic health record (EHR) in a large tertiary care center. PATIENTS/METHODS: We developed methods for identifying people on the autism spectrum and defined their sleep problems using the key words, "sleep" or "melatonin", or International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. We examined treatment responses of these individuals to melatonin supplementation. RESULTS: Sleep problems were documented in 86% of patients with ages ranging from 6 to 30 years old. Our specific keyword search yielded more patients with sleep diagnoses than ICD codes alone. About two-thirds of patients who received melatonin supplementation reported benefit from its use. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a framework for using deidentified medical records to characterize sleep, a common co-occurring condition, in people on the autism spectrum. Using specific keywords could be helpful in future work that queries the EHR.

Evolution of the grass leaf by primordium extension and petiole-lamina remodeling.

The sheathing leaf found in grasses and other monocots is an evolutionary innovation, yet its origin has been a subject of long-standing debate. Here, we revisit the problem in the light of developmental genetics and computational modeling. We show that the sheathing leaf likely arose through WOX-gene-dependent extension of a primordial zone straddling concentric domains around the shoot apex. Patterned growth within this zone, oriented by two polarity fields, accounts for wild-type, mutant and mosaic grass leaf development, whereas zone contraction and growth remodeling accounts for eudicot leaf development. In contrast to the prevailing view, our results suggest that the sheath derives from petiole, whereas the blade derives from the lamina of the eudicot leaf, consistent with homologies proposed in the 19th century.

Local delivery of FTY720 induces neutrophil activation through chemokine signaling in an oronasal fistula model.

PURPOSE: Cleft palate repair surgeries lack a regenerative reconstructive option and, in many cases, develop complications including oronasal fistula (ONF). Our group has developed a novel murine phenocopy of ONF to study the oral cavity wound healing program. Using this model, our team previously identified that delivery of FTY720 on a nanofiber scaffold had a unique immunomodulatory effect directing macrophages and monocytes into a pro-regenerative state during ONF healing. Here, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of local biomaterial-based FTY720 delivery in the ONF model on the early bulk gene expression and neutrophil phenotypic response within the regenerating tissue. METHODS: Using a mouse model of ONF formation, a palate defect was created and was treated with FTY720 nanofiber scaffolds or (blank) vehicle control nanofibers. At 1 and 3 days post-implantation, ONF oral mucosal tissue from the defect region was collected for RNA sequencing analysis or flow cytometry. For the RNA-seq expression profiling, intracellular pathways were assessed using the KEGG Pathway database and Gene Ontology (GO) Terms enrichment interactive graph. To assess the effects of FTY720 on different neutrophil subpopulations, flow cytometry data was analyzed using pseudotime analysis based on Spanning-tree Progression Analysis of Density-normalized Events (SPADE). RESULTS: RNA sequencing analysis of palate mucosa injured tissue identified 669 genes that were differentially expressed (DE) during the first 3 days of ONF wound healing after local delivery of FTY720, including multiple genes in the sphingolipid signaling pathway. Evaluation of the DE genes at the KEGG Pathway database also identified the inflammatory immune response pathways (chemokine signaling, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and leukocyte transendothelial migration), and the Gene Ontology enrichment analysis identified neutrophil chemotaxis and migration terms. SPADE dendrograms of CD11b+Ly6G+ neutrophils at both day 1 and day 3 post-injury showed significantly distinct subpopulations of neutrophils in oral mucosal defect tissue from the FTY720 scaffold treatment group compared to the vehicle control group (blank). Increased expression of CD88 and Vav1, among other genes, were found and staining of the ONF area demonstrated increased VAV1 staining in FTY720-treated healing oral mucosa. CONCLUSION: Treatment of oral mucosal defects using FTY720 scaffolds is a promising new immunotherapy to improve healing outcomes and reducing ONF formation during cleft palate surgical repair. Local delivery of FTY720 nanofiber scaffolds during ONF healing significantly shifted early gene transcription associated with immune cell recruitment and modulation of the immune microenvironment results in distinct neutrophil subpopulations in the oral mucosal defect tissue that provides a critical shift toward pro-regenerative immune signaling. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40883-021-00208-z.

Correlative Microscopy: a tool for understanding soil weathering in modern analogues of early terrestrial biospheres.

Correlative imaging provides a method of investigating complex systems by combining analytical (chemistry) and imaging (tomography) information across dimensions (2D-3D) and scales (centimetres-nanometres). We studied weathering processes in a modern cryptogamic ground cover from Iceland, containing early colonizing, and evolutionary ancient, communities of mosses, lichens, fungi, and bacteria. Targeted multi-scale X-ray Microscopy of a grain in-situ within a soil core revealed networks of surficial and internal features (tunnels) originating from organic-rich surface holes. Further targeted 2D grain characterisation by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), following an intermediate manual correlative preparation step, revealed Fe-rich nodules within the tunnels. Finally, nanotomographic imaging by focussed ion beam microscopy (FIB-SEM) revealed coccoid and filamentous-like structures within subsurface tunnels, as well as accumulations of Fe and S in grain surface crusts, which may represent a biological rock varnish/glaze. We attribute these features to biological processes. This work highlights the advantages and novelty of the correlative imaging approach, across scales, dimensions, and modes, to investigate biological weathering processes. Further, we demonstrate correlative microscopy as a means of identifying fingerprints of biological communities, which could be used in the geologic rock record and on extra-terrestrial bodies.

Age of acquisition effects in recognition without identification tasks.

The Age of Acquisition (AoA) effect results in early-acquired words being processed more quickly and accurately than later-acquired words. This effect is argued to result from a gradual development of semantic representations and a changing neural network throughout development (Chang, Y.-N., Monaghan, P., & Welbourne, S., 2019). Some forms of the Recognition Without Identification (RWI) effects have been observed at a perceptual level. The present study used the RWI paradigm to examine whether the AoA effect is located at the perceptual loci. A total of 174 participants were presented a list of pictures (Experiment 1) or words (Experiment 2) followed by a list of mixed early- and late-acquired picture or word fragments that participants had to identify; half of which corresponded to studied words and half of which to unstudied words. Irrespective of whether the item was identified, participants then rated the likelihood that the item appeared in the study phase. In both experiments, results showed that studied items were recognised more accurately than unstudied items, even when they could not be identified and late-acquired items were recognised more than early-acquired items, even when they were not identified. Finally, RWI interacted with the AoA effect only in pictorial stimuli, suggesting that the RWI and AoA effects are located at the perceptual level.

Diffusion tensor imaging and arterial tissue: establishing the influence of arterial tissue microstructure on fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity and tractography.

This study investigates diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for providing microstructural insight into changes in arterial tissue by exploring how cell, collagen and elastin content effect fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and tractography. Five ex vivo porcine carotid artery models (n = 6 each) were compared-native, fixed native, collagen degraded, elastin degraded and decellularised. Vessels were imaged at 7 T using a DTI protocol with b = 0 and 800 s/mm2 and 10 isotopically distributed directions. FA and MD were evaluated in the vessel media and compared across models. FA values measured in native (p < 0.0001), fixed native (p < 0.0001) and collagen degraded (p = 0.0018, p = 0.0016, respectively) were significantly higher than those in elastin degraded and decellularised arteries. Native and fixed native had significantly lower MD values than elastin degraded (p < 0.0001) and decellularised tissue (p = 0.0032, p = 0.0003, respectively). Significantly lower MD was measured in collagen degraded compared with the elastin degraded model (p = 0.0001). Tractography yielded helically arranged tracts for native and collagen degraded vessels only. FA, MD and tractography were found to be highly sensitive to changes in the microstructural composition of arterial tissue, specifically pointing to cell, not collagen, content as the dominant source of the measured anisotropy in the vessel wall.

Ambulatory drainage and management of a pleural empyema.

A 61 year old male presented to chest clinic with a lung abscess. This ruptured and resulted in an empyema that required a small bore chest drain. Pus started bypassing the drain, spilling out subcutaneously. This was probably due to the impending formation of an empyema necessitans. To stem the flow, a large bore drain was inserted. An ambulatory bag was connected to the end of that drain which enabled outpatient management through the ambulatory care unit over a ten week period. The chest drain stayed in for nine weeks. Risk stratification using the RAPID score was applied. This is a routine medical presentation with well-known and accepted investigations with routine organisms (mixed aerobic and anaerobic microbiota) and treatment with classical broad spectrum antibiotics. The striking feature of the case is that with strict supervision, patient education and motivation, ambulatory management is perfectly feasible and safe.

Clinical and molecular correlates of PD-L1 expression in patients with lung adenocarcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is the only FDA-approved biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, but sensitivity is modest. Understanding the impact of molecular phenotype, clinical characteristics, and tumor features on PD-L1 expression is largely unknown and may improve prediction of response to ICI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated patients with lung adenocarcinoma for whom PD-L1 testing and targeted next-generation sequencing (using MSK-IMPACT) was performed on the same tissue sample. Clinical and molecular features were compared across PD-L1 subgroups to examine how molecular phenotype associated with tumor PD-L1 expression. In patients treated with anti-PD-(L)1 blockade, we assessed how these interactions impacted efficacy. RESULTS: A total of 1586 patients with lung adenocarcinoma had paired PD-L1 testing and targeted next-generation sequencing. PD-L1 negativity was more common in primary compared to metastatic samples (P < 0.001). The distribution of PD-L1 expression (lymph nodes enriched for PD-L1 high; bones predominantly PD-L1 negative) and predictiveness of PD-L1 expression on ICI response varied by organ. Mutations in KRAS, TP53, and MET significantly associated with PD-L1 high expression (each P < 0.001, Q < 0.001) and EGFR and STK11 mutations associated with PD-L1 negativity (P < 0.001, Q = 0.01; P = 0.001, Q < 0.001, respectively). WNT pathway alterations also associated with PD-L1 negativity (P = 0.005). EGFR and STK11 mutants abrogated the predictive value of PD-L1 expression on ICI response. CONCLUSION: PD-L1 expression and association with ICI response vary across tissue sample sites. Specific molecular features are associated with differential expression of PD-L1 and may impact the predictive capacity of PD-L1 for response to ICIs.

General health complaints and sleep associated with new injury within an endurance sporting population: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between subjective health complaints, sleep quantity and new injury within an endurance sport population. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Ninety-five endurance sporting participants were recruited from running, triathlon, swimming, cycling and rowing disciplines. Over 52-week period participants submitted weekly data regarding subjective health complaints (SHCs) (cardiorespiratory, gastrointestinal and psychological/lifestyle), sleep quantity, training load and new injury episodes. Applying a 7- and 14-day lag period, a shared frailty model was used to explore new injury risk associations with total SHCs and sleep quantity. RESULTS: 92.6% of 95 participants completed all 52 weeks of data submission and the remainder of the participants completed ≥30 weeks. Seven-day lag psychological/lifestyle SHCs were significantly associated with new injury risk (Hazard ratio (HR)=1.32; CI 95%=1.01-1.72, p<0.04). In contrast, cardiorespiratory (HR=1.15; CI 95%=0.99-1.36, p=0.07) and gastrointestinal (HR=0.77; CI 95%=0.56-1.05, p=0.09) SHCs were not significantly associated with new injury risk. New injury risk had a significant increased association with 14-day lag <7h/day sleep quantity (HR=1.51; CI 95%=2.02-1.13, p<0.01) and a significant decreased association with >7h/day sleep quantity (HR=0.63, CI 95%=0.45-0.87, p<0.01. A secondary regression analysis demonstrated no significant association with total SHCs and training load factors (Relative Risk (RR)=0.08, CI 95%=0.04-0.21, p=0.20). CONCLUSIONS: To minimise an increased risk of new injuries within an endurance sporting population, this study demonstrates that psychological/lifestyle subjective health complaints and sleep quantity should be considered. The study also highlights a lag period between low sleep quantity and its subsequent impact on new injury risk. No association was demonstrated between subjective health complaints, sleep quantity and training load factors.

Macro-to-nanoscale investigation of wall-plate joints in the acorn barnacle Semibalanus balanoides: correlative imaging, biological form and function, and bioinspiration.

Correlative imaging combines information from multiple modalities (physical-chemical-mechanical properties) at various length scales (centimetre to nanometre) to understand the complex biological materials across dimensions (2D-3D). Here, we have used numerous coupled systems: X-ray microscopy (XRM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), optical light microscopy (LM) and focused ion beam (FIB-SEM) microscopy to ascertain the microstructural and crystallographic properties of the wall-plate joints in the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides. The exoskeleton is composed of six interlocking wall plates, and the interlocks between neighbouring plates (alae) allow barnacles to expand and grow while remaining sealed and structurally strong. Our results indicate that the ala contain functionally graded orientations and microstructures in their crystallography, which has implications for naturally functioning microstructures, potential natural strengthening and preferred oriented biomineralization. Elongated grains at the outer edge of the ala are oriented perpendicularly to the contact surface, and the c-axis rotates with the radius of the ala. Additionally, we identify for the first time three-dimensional nanoscale ala pore networks revealing that the pores are only visible at the tip of the ala and that pore thickening occurs on the inside (soft bodied) edge of the plates. The pore networks appear to have the same orientation as the oriented crystallography, and we deduce that the pore networks are probably organic channels and pockets, which are involved with the biomineralization process. Understanding these multiscale features contributes towards an understanding of the structural architecture in barnacles, but also their consideration for bioinspiration of human-made materials. The work demonstrates that correlative methods spanning different length scales, dimensions and modes enable the extension of the structure-property relationships in materials to form and function of organisms.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database Study of cataract surgery. Report 5: Clinical outcome and risk factors for posterior capsule rupture and visual acuity loss following cataract surgery in patients aged 90 years and older.

BACKGROUND: Older age is commonly associated with an increased risk of surgical complications and comparatively poor outcomes. PURPOSE: To report cataract surgery outcomes and risk indicators for patients aged 90 years and older. METHODS: Data collected as part of routine cataract care in 34 centres contributing to the United Kingdom Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) were analysed. Very elderly people undergoing cataract surgery were profiled in terms of demographics, pre- and postoperative best-measured visual acuity (VA), ocular co-morbidities, intraoperative posterior capsule rupture (PCR) or vitreous loss or both, and risk indicators for operative PCR and adverse VA outcome. RESULTS: 25,856 cataract operations in 19,166 people of 90 years or older between 2000 and 2014 are reported. Preoperative VA was available for 82.4% eyes, being 0.30 LogMAR or better in 21.5%. Postoperative VA was available for 61.8% eyes, being 0.30 LogMAR or better in 74.4%. For those without ocular co-morbidity, postoperative VA was 0.30 LogMAR or better in 84.7%. Various co-morbidities were present in 49% and contributed to an adverse VA outcome. PCR data were available for all operations and occurred in 2.7%. Significant risk indicators for PCR included pseudoexfoliation/phakodonesis, mature cataract, smaller pupil and worse preoperative VA. CONCLUSIONS: Slightly poorer cataract surgery outcome results were noted in patients of 90 years or older, more so in patients with ocular co-morbidity which was highly prevalent. However, surgeons should not be deterred from offering cataract surgery to the very elderly as successful visual rehabilitation remains achievable.

The transport of liquids in softwood: timber as a model porous medium.

Timber is the only widely used construction material we can grow. The wood from which it comes has evolved to provide structural support for the tree and to act as a conduit for fluid flow. These flow paths are crucial for engineers to exploit the full potential of timber, by allowing impregnation with liquids that modify the properties or resilience of this natural material. Accurately predicting the transport of these liquids enables more efficient industrial timber treatment processes to be developed, thereby extending the scope to use this sustainable construction material; moreover, it is of fundamental scientific value - as a fluid flow within a natural porous medium. Both structural and transport properties of wood depend on its micro-structure but, while a substantial body of research relates the structural performance of wood to its detailed architecture, no such knowledge exists for the transport properties. We present a model, based on increasingly refined geometric parameters, that accurately predicts the time-dependent ingress of liquids within softwood timber, thereby addressing this long-standing scientific challenge. Moreover, we show that for the minimalistic parameterisation the model predicts ingress with a square-root-of-time behaviour. However, experimental data show a potentially significant departure from this [Formula: see text] behaviour - a departure which is successfully predicted by our more advanced parametrisation. Our parameterisation of the timber microstructure was informed by computed tomographic measurements; model predictions were validated by comparison with experimental data. We show that accurate predictions require statistical representation of the variability in the timber pore space. The collapse of our dimensionless experimental data demonstrates clear potential for our results to be up-scaled to industrial treatment processes.

Access to drinking water: time matters.

Despite the reported achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with respect to drinking water, lack of access to water remains widespread worldwide. The indicator used there to measure access to water in the MDGs refers to the use of an improved water source. However, the amount of time spent in collecting water is high in countries where access to drinking water supplies located on premises is not common. 26.3% of the world's population did not have such access in 2015. Thus the need to travel to a water point, possibly queue, fill water containers, and carry them home is prevalent. The amount of time and effort used in water collection can be considerable, and household surveys increasingly provide data on collection time. This study aims to demonstrate the effect of adding a 30-minute collection time component to monitor access to drinking water. This study draws on household surveys from 17 countries to highlight the widespread burden of fetching water and its significant impact on estimates of coverage. The proportion of the population with access decreased by 13% on average for these 17 countries when collection time was added as a consideration.

Region-Specific Microstructure in the Neonatal Ventricles of a Porcine Model.

The neonate transitions from placenta-derived oxygen, to supply from the pulmonary system, moments after birth. This requires a series of structural developments to divert more blood through the right heart and onto the lungs, with the tissue quickly remodelling to the changing ventricular workload. In some cases, however, the heart structure does not fully develop causing poor circulation and inefficient oxygenation, which is associated with an increase in mortality and morbidity. This study focuses on developing an enhanced knowledge of the 1-day old heart, quantifying the region-specific microstructural parameters of the tissue. This will enable more accurate mathematical and computational simulations of the young heart. Hearts were dissected from 12, 1-day-old deceased Yorkshire piglets (mass: 2.1-2.4 kg, length: 0.38-0.51 m), acquired from a breeding farm. Evans blue dye was used to label the heart equator and to demarcate the left and right ventricle free walls. Two hearts were used for three-dimensional diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging, to quantify the fractional anisotropy (FA). The remaining hearts were used for two-photon excited fluorescence and second-harmonic generation microscopy, to quantify the cardiomyocyte and collagen fibril structures within the anterior and posterior aspects of the right and left ventricles. FA varied significantly across both ventricles, with the greatest in the equatorial region, followed by the base and apex. The FA in each right ventricular region was statistically greater than that in the left. Cardiomyocyte and collagen fibre rotation was greatest in the anterior wall of both ventricles, with less dispersion when compared to the posterior walls. In defining these key parameters, this study provides a valuable insight into the 1-day-old heart that will provide a valuable platform for further investigation the normal and abnormal heart using mathematical and computational models.

Cell geometry across the ring structure of Sitka spruce.

For wood to be used to its full potential as an engineering material, it is necessary to quantify links between its cell geometry and the properties it exhibits at bulk scale. Doing so will make it possible to predict timber properties crucial to engineering, such as mechanical strength and stiffness, and the resistance to fluid flow, and to inform strategies to improve those properties as required, as well as to measure the effects of interventions such as genetic manipulation and chemical modification. Strength, stiffness and permeability of timber all derive from the geometry of its cells, and yet current practice is to predict them based on properties, such as bulk density, that do not directly describe the cell structure. This work explores links between micro-computed tomography data for structural-size pieces of wood, which show the variation of porosity across the wood's ring structure, and high-resolution tomography showing the geometry of the cells, from which we measure cell length, lumen area, porosity, cell wall thickness and the number density of cells. High-resolution scans, while informative, are time-consuming and expensive to run on a large number of samples at the scale of building components. By scanning the same volume of timber at both low and high resolutions (high-resolution scans over a near-continuous volume of timber of approx. 20 mm3 at 15 µm3 per voxel), we are able to demonstrate correlations between the measurements at the two different resolutions, reveal the physical basis for these correlations, and demonstrate that the data from the low-resolution scan can be used to estimate the variation in (small-scale) cell geometry throughout a structural-size piece of wood.