Tart Montmorency cherries (MC) are a particularly rich source of anthocyanins and other polyphenols that have been shown to elicit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasomodulatory actions. The current study aimed to determine the influence of chronic MC supplementation on cognitive function and mood. In a 3-month double-blinded, placebo-controlled parallel study, middle-aged adults (mean ± sd: 48 ± 6 years) were randomly assigned to either 30 ml twice daily of MC (n 25) or the same amount of an isoenergetic placebo (n 25). Cognitive function and mood were assessed before and after supplementation using a computerised cognitive task battery and visual analogue scales. Cerebral blood flow was also monitored by near-infrared spectroscopy during the task battery, and questionnaires were administered to determine subjective sleep and health status and plasma metabolomics were analysed before and after supplementation. After 3 months, the MC resulted in higher accuracy in digit vigilance (mean difference: 3·3, 95 % CI: 0·2, 6·4 %) with lower number of false alarms (mean difference: −1·2, 95 % CI: −2·0, −0·4) compared with the placebo. There was also a treatment effect for higher alertness (mean difference: 5·9, 95 % CI: 1·3, 10·5 %) and lower mental fatigue ratings (mean difference −9·5, 95 % CI: −16·5, −2·5 %) with MC. Plasma metabolomics revealed an increase in a number of amino acids in response to MC intake, but not placebo. These data suggest an anti-fatiguing effect of MC supplementation as well as the ability to improve sustained attention during times of high cognitive demand, this could be related to changes in amino acid metabolism.

Montmorency tart cherries (MC) have been found to modulate indices of vascular function with interventions of varying duration. The objective of this preliminary study was to identify the chronic effects of MC supplementation on vascular function and the potential for urinary metabolomics to provide mechanistic evidence. We performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised study on 23 healthy individuals (18M, 7F) that consumed 30 ml MC or a placebo twice daily for 28 days. Whole body measures of vascular function and spot urine collections were taken at baseline and after supplementation. There were no significant changes to vascular function including blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Urinary metabolite profiling highlighted significant changes (P < 0⋅001) with putative discriminatory metabolites related to tryptophan and histidine metabolism. Overall, MC supplementation for 28 days does not improve indices of vascular function but changes to the urinary metabolome could be suggestive of potential mechanisms.

The discovery of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave signal has generated follow-up observations by over 50 facilities world-wide, ushering in the new era of multi-messenger astronomy. In this paper, we present follow-up observations of the gravitational wave event GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart SSS17a/DLT17ck (IAU label AT2017gfo) by 14 Australian telescopes and partner observatories as part of Australian-based and Australian-led research programs. We report early- to late-time multi-wavelength observations, including optical imaging and spectroscopy, mid-infrared imaging, radio imaging, and searches for fast radio bursts. Our optical spectra reveal that the transient source emission cooled from approximately 6 400 K to 2 100 K over a 7-d period and produced no significant optical emission lines. The spectral profiles, cooling rate, and photometric light curves are consistent with the expected outburst and subsequent processes of a binary neutron star merger. Star formation in the host galaxy probably ceased at least a Gyr ago, although there is evidence for a galaxy merger. Binary pulsars with short (100 Myr) decay times are therefore unlikely progenitors, but pulsars like PSR B1534+12 with its 2.7 Gyr coalescence time could produce such a merger. The displacement (~2.2 kpc) of the binary star system from the centre of the main galaxy is not unusual for stars in the host galaxy or stars originating in the merging galaxy, and therefore any constraints on the kick velocity imparted to the progenitor are poor.

Accommodating cattle indoors during the winter is widely practiced throughout Europe. There is currently no legislation surrounding the space allowance and floor type that should be provided to cattle during this time, however, concerns have been raised regarding the type of housing systems currently in use. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of space allowance and floor type on performance and welfare of finishing beef heifers. Continental crossbred heifers (n=240: mean initial live; weight, 504 (SD 35.8) kg) were blocked by breed, weight and age and randomly assigned to one of four treatments; (i) 3.0 m2, (ii) 4.5 m2 and (iii) 6.0 m2 space allowance per animal on a fully slatted concrete floor and (iv) 6.0 m2 space allowance per animal on a straw-bedded floor, for 105 days. Heifers were offered a total mixed ration ad libitum. Dry matter intake was recorded on a pen basis and refusals were weighed back twice weekly. Heifers were weighed, dirt scored and blood sampled every 3 weeks. Whole blood was analysed for complete cell counts and serum samples were assayed for metabolite concentrations. Behaviour was recorded continuously using IR cameras from days 70 to 87. Heifers’ hooves were inspected for lesions at the start of the study and again after slaughter. Post-slaughter, carcass weight, conformation and fat scores and hide weight were recorded. Heifers housed at 4.5 m2 had a greater average daily live weight gain (ADG) than those on both of the other concrete slat treatments; however, space allowance had no effect on carcass weight. Heifers accommodated on straw had a greater ADG (0.15 kg) (P<0.05), hide weight (P<0.01) better feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) and had greater dirt scores (P<0.05) at slaughter than heifers accommodated on concrete slats at 6.0 m2. The number of heifers lying at any one time was greater (P<0.001) on straw than on concrete slats. Space allowance and floor type had no effect on the number of hoof lesions gained or on any of the haematological or metabolic variables measured. It was concluded that increasing space allowance above 3.0 m2/animal on concrete slats was of no benefit to animal performance but it did improve animal cleanliness. Housing heifers on straw instead of concrete slats improved ADG and increased lying time; however carcass weight was not affected.

Cerebral blood volume and metabolism of oxygen decline as part of human ageing, and this has been previously shown to be related to cognitive decline. There is some evidence to suggest that polyphenol-rich foods can play an important role in delaying the onset or halting the progression of age-related health disorders such as CVD and Alzheimer’s disease and to improve cognitive function. In the present study, an acute, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over, randomised Latin-square design study with a washout period of at least 14 d was conducted on twenty-seven, middle-aged (defined as 45–60 years) volunteers. Participants received either a 60 ml dose of Montmorency tart cherry concentrate (MC), which contained 68·0 (sd 0·26) mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/l, 160·75 (sd 0·55) mean gallic acid equivalent/l and 0·59 (sd 0·02) mean Trolox equivalent/l, respectively, or a placebo. Cerebrovascular responses, cognitive performance and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and 1, 2, 3 and 5 h following consumption. There were significant differences in concentrations of total Hb and oxygenated Hb during the task period 1 h after MC consumption (P≤0·05). Furthermore, MC consumption significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (P≤0·05) over a period of 3 h, with peak reductions of 6±2 mmHg at 1 h after MC consumption relative to the placebo. Cognitive function and mood were not affected. These results show that a single dose of MC concentrate can modulate certain variables of vascular function; however, this does not translate to improvements in cognition or mood.

The design of wings with morphing capabilities is known to give aerodynamic benefits. These aero-dynamic benefits come from both the use of hinge-less surfaces and the greater adaptability to flight conditions. This paper describes the structural design of a twisting wing to be used for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and presents finite element analysis and experiment results. This is part of a research project carried out at the University of Southampton in which one of the goals is to compare different novel wing designs and technologies to determine which one of them gives the best performance. The twisting capability provides roll control without hinged surfaces hence providing aerodynamic improvement. The wing is manufactured using polystyrene foam and is cut out of block of this material using a hot wire machine. In order to link this foam structure to a main spar, ABS plastic inserts were manufactured using a 3D printer. The mechanisms used to actuate the wing are also made from this material. A full scale UAV wing has been manufactured and tested in order to compare with FEA results.

Researchers, institutional review boards (IRBs), participants in human subjects research, and their families face an important but largely neglected problem — how should incidental findings (IFs) be managed in human subjects research. If researchers unexpectedly stumble upon information of potential health or reproductive significance, should they seek expert evaluation, contact the participant’s physician, tell the research participant, or respond with some combination? What should consent forms and the entire consent process say about how IFs will be handled in research? What should IRBs require?

In May 2000, public health authorities in Dublin, Ireland, identified a cluster of unexplained severe illness among injecting drug users (IDUs). Similar clusters were also reported in Scotland and England. Concurrent investigations were undertaken to identify the aetiology and source of the illnesses. In Dublin, 22 IDUs were identified with injection-site inflammation resulting in hospitalization or death; eight (36%) died. Common clinical findings among patients with severe systemic symptoms included leukaemoid reaction and cardiogenic shock. Seventeen (77%) patients reported injecting heroin intramuscularly in the 2 weeks before illness. Of 11 patients with adequate specimens available for testing, two (18%) were positive by 16S rDNA PCR for Clostridium novyi. Clinical and laboratory findings suggested that histotoxic Clostridia caused a subset of infections in these related clusters. Empiric treatment for infections among IDUs was optimized for anaerobic organisms, and outreach led to increased enrolment in methadone treatment in Dublin. Many unique legal, medical, and public health challenges were encountered during the investigation of this outbreak.

Graded-band-gap CuIn1−xGaxSe2 (CIGS) absorbers with Ga/Ga+In value in the 20%-30% range have a demonstrated efficiency of 18.8%. For CdS-containing devices, the shortcircuit current density (Jsc) has almost reached its expected maximum. However, the open-circuit voltage of CIGS solar cells is limited by the surface microstructure and chemistry. In this work, we examine the microstructural properties and chemistry of CIGS. We also attempted to correlate the above observations and device performance.

Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells are under investigation for 1-sun and concentrator applications. Design criteria are examined and reveal that only grid design modifications are required. In the special case where cell width dimensions are 4–5 cm, an interdigitated design removes the back contact as a loss mechanism. Processing issues relating to the intrinsic ZnO layer are critical to optimal and reproducible cell performance. 1-sun and 20 sun performance of 17.7% are reported for different cells. The latter represents a 2.9% absolute improvement over the 1-sun control measurement. 20% performance is therefore a realistic goal. CIGS-based cells represent a viable concentrator technology.

Thirty-one patients with schizophrenia and 33 normal control subjects underwent MRI. The BPRS was used to rate clinical symptoms and the NART to estimate premorbid IQ. All were right handed. The temporal lobe was significantly smaller on the left than the right in both the control and schizophrenic groups. The amygdala was smaller on the left than the right in controls but not in schizophrenics. The parahippocampal gyrus was smaller on the left side in the schizophrenic group but not in controls. In the schizophrenic group, ventricular enlargement and cerebral atrophy were significantly related to severity of symptoms. Patients with marked negative symptoms had a bilateral reduction in the size of the head of caudate and the two measures were significantly correlated. Patients with marked positive symptoms had larger VBRs and again the clinical and morphometric changes were significantly correlated. There were no morphometric differences between patients with short duration (two years or less) and chronic symptoms.