The gut microbiome is impacted by certain types of dietary fibre. However, the type, duration and dose needed to elicit gut microbial changes and whether these changes also influence microbial metabolites remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of supplementing healthy participants with two types of non-digestible carbohydrates (resistant starch (RS) and polydextrose (PD)) on the stool microbiota and microbial metabolite concentrations in plasma, stool and urine, as secondary outcomes in the Dietary Intervention Stem Cells and Colorectal Cancer (DISC) Study. The DISC study was a double-blind, randomised controlled trial that supplemented healthy participants with RS and/or PD or placebo for 50 d in a 2 × 2 factorial design. DNA was extracted from stool samples collected pre- and post-intervention, and V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to profile the gut microbiota. Metabolite concentrations were measured in stool, plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. A total of fifty-eight participants with paired samples available were included. After 50 d, no effects of RS or PD were detected on composition of the gut microbiota diversity (alpha- and beta-diversity), on genus relative abundance or on metabolite concentrations. However, Drichlet’s multinomial mixture clustering-based approach suggests that some participants changed microbial enterotype post-intervention. The gut microbiota and fecal, plasma and urinary microbial metabolites were stable in response to a 50-d fibre intervention in middle-aged adults. Larger and longer studies, including those which explore the effects of specific fibre sub-types, may be required to determine the relationships between fibre intake, the gut microbiome and host health.

Chater & Loewenstein argue for a shift in focus from individual- to structural-level approaches to societal ills. This is valid and important but overlooks the barriers inherent in the current US partisan context. Psychology can be applied to help people of mixed allyship join together, to effectively and quickly force institutions and corporations to accept structural change.

Complete thrombosis of a pulmonary artery interposition graft in an adolescent with complex repaired CHD was treated successfully with a combination of a novel mechanical thrombectomy system, stent implantation, and thrombolysis. This thrombectomy system used a flexible catheter with a built-in mechanism to attenuate blood loss, while providing effective recanalisation of a foreign graft.

High-energy and high-intensity lasers are essential for pushing the boundaries of science. Their development has allowed leaps forward in basic research areas, including laser–plasma interaction, high-energy density science, metrology, biology and medical technology. The Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields user consortium contributes and operates two high-peak-power optical lasers using the high energy density instrument at the European X-ray free electron laser (EuXFEL) facility. These lasers will be used to generate transient extreme states of density and temperature to be probed by the X-ray beam. This paper introduces the ReLaX laser, a short-pulse high-intensity Ti:Sa laser system, and discusses its characteristics as available for user experiments. It will also present the first experimental commissioning results validating its successful integration into the EuXFEL infrastructure and viability as a relativistic-intensity laser driver.

Recent infection testing algorithms (RITA) for HIV combine serological assays with epidemiological data to determine likely recent infections, indicators of ongoing transmission. In 2016, we integrated RITA into national HIV surveillance in Ireland to better inform HIV prevention interventions. We determined the avidity index (AI) of new HIV diagnoses and linked the results with data captured in the national infectious disease reporting system. RITA classified a diagnosis as recent based on an AI < 1.5, unless epidemiological criteria (CD4 count <200 cells/mm3; viral load <400 copies/ml; the presence of AIDS-defining illness; prior antiretroviral therapy use) indicated a potential false-recent result. Of 508 diagnoses in 2016, we linked 448 (88.1%) to an avidity test result. RITA classified 12.5% of diagnoses as recent, with the highest proportion (26.3%) amongst people who inject drugs. On multivariable logistic regression recent infection was more likely with a concurrent sexually transmitted infection (aOR 2.59; 95% CI 1.04–6.45). Data were incomplete for at least one RITA criterion in 48% of cases. The study demonstrated the feasibility of integrating RITA into routine surveillance and showed some ongoing HIV transmission. To improve the interpretation of RITA, further efforts are required to improve completeness of the required epidemiological data.

The headwaters of the Río Pilcomayo drain the Cerro Rico de Potosí precious metal-polymetallic tin deposits of southern Bolivia. Mining of these deposits has taken place for around 500 years, leading to severe contamination of the Pilcomayo's waters and sediments for at least 200 km downstream. Communities living downstream of the mines and processing mills rely on the river water for irrigation, washing and occasionally, cooking and drinking, although most communities take their drinking water from springs located in the mountains above their village. This investigation focuses on arsenic exposure in people living in riverside communities up to 150 km downstream of the source. Sampling took place in April–May 2003 (dry season) and was repeated in January–March 2004 (wet season) in five communities: El Molino, Tasapampa, Tuero Chico, Sotomayor and Cota. Cota was the control in 2003 and again in 2004; a nearby city, Sucre, and several locations in the UK were also used as controls in 2004. Drinking, irrigation and river waters, hair and urine samples were collected in each community, digested where appropriate and analysed for As using ICP-MS. Arsenic concentrations in drinking waters ranged 0.2–112 μg 1–1, irrigation water 0.6–329 μg 1–1, river waters 0.9–12,800 μg 1–1, hair 37–2110 μg kg–1 and urine 11–891 μg 1–1. All but one drinking water sample was found to contain As below the World Health Organization recommended guideline of 10 μg 1–1, although a number of irrigation and river water concentrations were above Canadian and Bolivian guidelines. Many As concentrations in the hair and urine samples from this study exceeded published values for non-occupationally exposed subjects. Analysis of mean concentration values for all media types showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the control locations and the communities exposed to known As contamination, suggesting that the source of As may not be mining-related. Arsenic concentration appears to increase as a function of age in hair samples from males and females older than 30 years. Male volunteers over the age of 35 showed increasing urine-As concentrations as a function of age, whereas the opposite was true for the females.

Windmillgrass is a major weed in agricultural systems in northern Australia, and it has now become more common in southern Australia. Because little information is available on the biology of this weed species in southern Australia, studies were conducted to investigate plant development and seed biology. Under irrigated field conditions in South Australia, windmillgrass required 748 to 786 growing degree days from emergence to mature seed production. Freshly harvested seed had low dormancy with 16% to 40% germination. Seeds required light exposure for germination and less than 2% germination was observed in complete darkness. Seed could germinate over a wide temperature range (10 to 40 C) with maximum germination at 20 to 25 C. At 25 to 30 C, 50% germination occurred within 27.3 to 45.5 h, and the predicted base temperature for germination of the two populations investigated ranged from 9.2 to 11.2 C. The sodium chloride concentration and osmotic potential required to inhibit germination by 50% were 51 to 73 mM and −0.27 MPa, respectively. Seedling emergence was completely inhibited by burial of seed, which is consistent with its absolute requirement for light exposure to begin germination. Under field conditions, there was no clear effect of burial depth on seed viability in the first 2 yr with average rainfall, and seeds were completely nonviable after 12 mo. However, in the third year, with low spring–summer rainfall, buried seeds (37% viability after 14 mo) persisted longer than those left on the soil surface (6% viability after 14 mo). This study provides important information on plant development and seed biology of windmillgrass that will contribute to the development of a management program for this weed species in southern Australia.

Feather fingergrass is a major weed in agricultural systems in northern Australia and has now spread to southern Australia. To better understand the biology of this emerging weed species, its growth, development, and seed biology were examined. Under field conditions in South Australia, seedlings that emerged after summer rainfall events required 1,200 growing degree days from emergence to mature seed production and produced 700 g m−2 shoot biomass. Plants produced up to 1,000 seeds panicle−1 and more than 40,000 seeds plant−1, with seed weight ranging from 0.36 to 0.46 mg. Harvested seeds were dormant for a period of about 2 mo and required 5 mo of after-ripening to reach 50% germination. Freshly harvested seed could be released from dormancy by pretreatment with 564 mM sodium hypochlorite for 30 min. Light significantly increased germination. Seed could germinate over a wide temperature range (10 to 40 C), with maximum germination at 15 to 25 C. At 20 to 25 C, 50% germination was reached within 2.7 to 3.3 d, and the predicted base temperature to germinate was 2.1 to 3.0 C. The osmotic potential and NaCl concentration required to inhibit germination by 50% were −0.16 to −0.20 MPa and 90 to 124 mM, respectively. Seedling emergence was highest (76%) for seeds present on soil surface and was significantly reduced by burial at 1 (57%), 2 (49%), and 5 cm (9%). Under field conditions, seeds buried in the soil persisted longer than those left on the soil surface, and low spring–summer rainfall increased seed persistence. This study provides important information on growth, development, and seed biology of feather fingergrass that will contribute to the development of a more effective management program for this weed species in Australia.

Clinical, electrophysiological, and histopathological studies of some members of a family with dominantlyinherited hypertrophic neuropathy are presented. Twenty-five members were studied. Seventeen were abnormal on clinical examination. Their ages varied from 2½ to 78 years. Age at onset in 14 of the 17 varied between 2½ and 56 years. Pes cavus and palpable nerve thickening were present in more than half of the affected individuals. All patients had areflexia. Fifteen of the 17 had distal motor weakness as well as mild to moderate sensory impairment. Motor weakness affecting the proximal hip and shoulder girdle muscles was seen in 13 patients. Four patients gave a history of trigeminal neuralgia. Motor nerve conduction velocities were markedly impaired in all the clinically affected members. These studies were normal in the 8 unaffected members. Motor conduction velocities of the proximal segment of the ulnar nerve were slower compared to the distal segment in almost all the affected members. There was no significant correlation between the degree of clinical disability and the extent of impairment in the motor nerve conduction velocities. Sural nerve biopsies were studied. These observations are discussed.

The ruminant provides a powerful model for understanding the temporal dynamics of gastrointestinal microbial communities. Diet-induced milk fat depression (MFD) in the dairy cow is caused by rumen-derived bioactive fatty acids, and is commonly attributed to the changes in the microbial population. The aim of the present study was to determine the changes occurring in nine ruminal bacterial taxa with well-characterised functions, and abundance of total fungi, ciliate protozoa and bacteria during the induction of and recovery from MFD. Interactions between treatment and time were observed for ten of the twelve populations. The total number of both fungi and ciliate protozoa decreased rapidly (days 4 and 8, respectively) by more than 90 % during the induction period and increased during the recovery period. The abundance of Streptococcus bovis (amylolytic) peaked at 350 % of control levels on day 4 of induction and rapidly decreased during the recovery period. The abundance of Prevotella bryantii (amylolytic) decreased by 66 % from day 8 to 20 of the induction period and increased to the control levels on day 12 of the recovery period. The abundance of Megasphaera elsdenii and Selenomonas ruminantium (lactate-utilising bacteria) increased progressively until day 12 of induction (>170 %) and decreased during the recovery period. The abundance of Fibrobacter succinogenes (fibrolytic) decreased by 97 % on day 4 of induction and increased progressively to an equal extent during the recovery period, although smaller changes were observed for other fibrolytic bacteria. The abundance of the Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens/Pseudobutyrivibrio group decreased progressively during the induction period and increased during the recovery period, whereas the abundance of Butyrivibrio hungatei was not affected by treatment. Responsive taxa were modified rapidly, with the majority of changes occurring within 8 d and their time course was similar to the time course of the induction of MFD, demonstrating a strong correlation between changes in ruminal microbial populations and MFD.

This paper presents a recent result for the problem introduced eleven years ago by Fraenkel and McLeod [A diffusing vortex circle in a viscous fluid. In IUTAM Symposium on Asymptotics, Singularities and Homogenisation in Problems of Mechanics, Kluwer (2003), 489–500], but described only briefly there. We shall prove the following, as far as space allows. The vorticity ${\it\omega}$ of a diffusing vortex circle in a viscous fluid has, for small values of a non-dimensional time, a second approximation ${\it\omega}_{A}+{\it\omega}_{1}$ that, although formulated for a fixed, finite Reynolds number ${\it\lambda}$ and exact for ${\it\lambda}=0$ (then ${\it\omega}={\it\omega}_{A}$), tends to a smooth limiting function as ${\it\lambda}\uparrow \infty$. In §§1 and 2 the necessary background and apparatus are described; §3 outlines the new result and its proof.

The consumption of cocoa and dark chocolate is associated with a lower risk of CVD, and improvements in endothelial function may mediate this relationship. Less is known about the effects of cocoa/chocolate on the augmentation index (AI), a measure of vascular stiffness and vascular tone in the peripheral arterioles. We enrolled thirty middle-aged, overweight adults in a randomised, placebo-controlled, 4-week, cross-over study. During the active treatment (cocoa) period, the participants consumed 37 g/d of dark chocolate and a sugar-free cocoa beverage (total cocoa = 22 g/d, total flavanols (TF) = 814 mg/d). Colour-matched controls included a low-flavanol chocolate bar and a cocoa-free beverage with no added sugar (TF = 3 mg/d). Treatments were matched for total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates and protein. The cocoa treatment significantly increased the basal diameter and peak diameter of the brachial artery by 6 % (+2 mm) and basal blood flow volume by 22 %. Substantial decreases in the AI, a measure of arterial stiffness, were observed in only women. Flow-mediated dilation and the reactive hyperaemia index remained unchanged. The consumption of cocoa had no effect on fasting blood measures, while the control treatment increased fasting insulin concentration and insulin resistance (P= 0·01). Fasting blood pressure (BP) remained unchanged, although the acute consumption of cocoa increased resting BP by 4 mmHg. In summary, the high-flavanol cocoa and dark chocolate treatment was associated with enhanced vasodilation in both conduit and resistance arteries and was accompanied by significant reductions in arterial stiffness in women.