University of Nottingham

About: University of Nottingham is a education organization based out in Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 54772 authors who have published 119600 publications receiving 4227408 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Nottingham & University College, Nottingham.

Physiological processes associated with wheat yield progress in the UK

Abstract: Knowledge of the changes in physiological traits associated with genetic gains in yield potential is essential to improve understanding of yield-limiting factors and to inform future breeding strategies. Our objective was to identify physiological traits associated with genetic gains in grain yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the UK. The growth and development of eight representative cultivars introduced from 1972 to 1995 (one tall rht-D1b cultivar and seven Rht-D1b, formerly Rht2, semidwarf cultivars) was examined in field experiments at Sutton Bonington in 1996-1997, 1997-1998, and 1998-1999. A linear genetic gain in grain yield of 0.12 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) (1.2% yr(-1)) was positively correlated with both harvest index (HI) and aboveground biomass; a quadratic function fitted to the data showed that progress in HI was most apparent during the earlier phase of the 23-yr period, whereas biomass contributed most since about 1983. There was a linear increase across time of 217 grains m(-2) yr(-1), but no change in grain weight. Significant genetic changes across time and correlations with grain yield were also found for preanthesis radiation-use efficiency (RUE, 0.012 g MJ(-1) yr(-1)) and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of stems and leaf sheaths at anthesis (4.6 g m(-2) yr(-1)). Our results suggest that recent genetic gains in grain yield have been based on a combination of improved growth rate in the preanthesis period, which has driven increases in number of grains per square meter, and a larger source for grain filling through increases in stem soluble carbohydrate reserves.

Characterization of mechanical behavior of woven fabrics: Experimental methods and benchmark results

Abstract: Textile composites made of woven fabrics have demonstrated excellent mechanical properties for the production of high specific-strength products. Research efforts in the woven fabric sheet forming are currently at a point where benchmarking will lead to major advances in understanding both the strengths and the limitations of existing experimental and modeling approaches. Test results can provide valuable information for the material characterization and forming process design of woven composites if researchers know how to interpret the results obtained from varying test methods appropriately. An international group of academic and industry researchers has gathered to design and conduct benchmarking tests of interest to the composite sheet forming community. Shear deformation is the dominative deformation mode for woven fabrics in forming; therefore, trellis-frame (picture-frame) and bias-extension tests for both balanced and unbalanced fabrics have been conducted and compared through this collaborative effort. Tests were conducted by seven international research institutions on three identical woven fabrics. Both the variations in the setup of each research laboratory and the normalization methods used to compare the test results are presented and discussed. With an understanding of the effects of testing variations on the results and the normalization methods, numerical modeling efforts can commence and new testing methods can be developed to advance the field.

Which drugs cause preventable admissions to hospital? A systematic review

Abstract: Aim: Previous systematic reviews have found that drug-related morbidity accounts for 4.3% of preventable hospital admissions. None, however, has identified the drugs most commonly responsible for preventable hospital admissions. The aims of this study were to estimate the percentage of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, the most common drug causes of preventable hospital admissions and the most common underlying causes of preventable drug-related admissions. Methods: Bibliographic databases and reference lists from eligible articles and study authors were the sources for data. Seventeen prospective observational studies reporting the proportion of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, causative drugs and/or the underlying causes of hospital admissions were selected. Included studies used multiple reviewers and/or explicit criteria to assess causality and preventability of hospital admissions. Two investigators abstracted data from all included studies using a purpose-made data extraction form. Results: From 13 papers the median percentage of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital was 3.7% (range 1.4-15.4). From nine papers the majority (51%) of preventable drug-related admissions involved either antiplatelets (16%), diuretics (16%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (11%) or anticoagulants (8%). From five studies the median proportion of preventable drug-related admissions associated with prescribing problems was 30.6% (range 11.1-41.8), with adherence problems 33.3% (range 20.9-41.7) and with monitoring problems 22.2% (range 0-31.3). Conclusions: Four groups of drugs account for more than 50% of the drug groups associated with preventable drug-related hospital admissions. Concentrating interventions on these drug groups could reduce appreciably the number of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital from primary care.

A Quantitative Comparison of Stochastic Mortality Models Using Data from England & Wales and the United States

Abstract: We compare quantitatively eight stochastic models explaining improvements in mortality rates in England &Wales and in the US. On the basis of the Bayes Information Criterion (BIC), we find that an extension of the Cairns, Blake & Dowd (2006b) model that incorporates the cohort effect fits the England & Wales data best, while for US data, the Renshaw & Haberman (2006) extension to the Lee & Carter (1992) model that also allows for a cohort effect provides the best fit. However, we identify problems with the robustness of parameter estimates of these models over different time periods. A different extension to the Cairns, Blake & Dowd (2006b) model that allows not only for a cohort effect, but also for a quadratic age effect, while ranking below the other models in terms of the BIC, exhibits parameter stability across different time periods for both data sets. This model also shows, for both data sets, that there have been approximately linear improvements over time in mortality rates at all ages, but that the improvements have been greater at lower ages than at higher ages, and that there are significant cohort effects.

dSarm/Sarm1 Is Required for Activation of an Injury-Induced Axon Death Pathway

Abstract: Axonal and synaptic degeneration is a hallmark of peripheral neuropathy, brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease. Axonal degeneration has been proposed to be mediated by an active autodestruction program, akin to apoptotic cell death; however, loss-of-function mutations capable of potently blocking axon self-destruction have not been described. Here, we show that loss of the Drosophila Toll receptor adaptor dSarm (sterile α/Armadillo/Toll-Interleukin receptor homology domain protein) cell-autonomously suppresses Wallerian degeneration for weeks after axotomy. Severed mouse Sarm1 null axons exhibit remarkable long-term survival both in vivo and in vitro, indicating that Sarm1 prodegenerative signaling is conserved in mammals. Our results provide direct evidence that axons actively promote their own destruction after injury and identify dSarm/Sarm1 as a member of an ancient axon death signaling pathway.